Fighting Destiny
by allikatt2554
Summary: In Neverland, certain members of Operation Save Henry are having vivid dreams. Dreams so real they feel like memories. The only problem is that the same girl is appearing in all of their dreams. Rumpelstiltskin is convinced that she will help save Henry, but Peter Pan and his Lost Boys still stand over their heads, and some of them are having dreams too? Slight AU: No Malcolm twist
1. Prologue: Operation Cobra

**This idea has been taking shape in my head since the OUAT crew entered Neverland. So it had taken root before the "I am your father" plot twist the writers added. I also thought it up before I found out that my OC's fairy tale is going to be adapted into the story in the somewhat near future. So I really wanted to get at least the idea out there. This is my first time writing a fanfiction so please tell me if my writing is too rough to enjoy the story and I'll stop. Hope you like it, because that's the reason for publishing right?**

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Prologue: Remember Back to Operation Cobra?

Henry was in a hurry. As he rushed down the sidewalk on his way to meet with Emma at Granny's he suddenly bumped into someone's back. While the force of the collehison only made Henry drop his book, it had sent the girl sprawling on the ground, her shocked exclamation bringing his mind from Operation Cobra to the blonde disaster in front of him.

"Sorry, I guess I didn't see you there," He began, offering a hand to help her up. She looked up at him doe eyed, and then down at his hand in an almost acussionary look teenager got up by herself, only slightly exposing her skinned knees from the fall before her wool skirt settled back to just below the now raw skin. She fidgeted with her hands before hiding them in her long shirt sleeves. Looking around conspicuously, the girl raised her head and spoke, "N-No it's fine. I was the one who was just standing in the middle of the sidewalk."

"Why?" Henry's curiosity overruling any suspicious thoughts he should have about someone who could be intimidated by a 10-year old. And she was. As soon as Henry had inquired into the reason she was on the sidewalk, the girl's already large eyes doubled in size and she shook her head fervently, her mess of tangled locks whipping her in the face as she tried to disinterest the child. He asked again in the blunt way that is uniquely Henry. "Why were you standing in the middle of the sidewalk?" He offered up a reassuring smile in hopes of easing the strange girl's anxiety towards him.

It immediately worked with the girl. Upon seeing his smile, the girl broke out into a small one of her own, changing her eyes from shifty to sparkling in a matter of seconds . Henry's smile widened at the innocent reaction, and in turn her's did too. The cycle continued until they both had the biggest smile their cheeks allowed them to conjure on their faces, both silent and waiting for the other to make a move. A laugh escaped from the girl, blubbering out from her stretched cheeks, and Henry finding her choked giggles funny in itself, also started to chuckle. Soon people were looking at the two them strangely and they tried to calm down.

"I'm kind of lost." The girl finally admitted, shifting up and down on the balls of her feet out of embarrassment. Her confession struck Henry as odd, why was she lost on Main Street?

"Where are you headed?"

"My mom has a cold and she asked me to go pick up the groceries today and well…. Iheardthattherewasacraftstore… and I was looking for it." She bent her head down and let her hair curtain over her face when she talked. It took Henry a second to decipher what she had spoken in a rush.

"Jolene's Arts and Crafts?" Her head snapped up and down nodding in confirmation at his guess to where she was headed. "Well, you almost made it there, it's the building right next to us now. Come on, I'll take you there." The girl smiled in thanks, and followed Henry as he turned on his heel and marched down and away from the depressing boarded windows of the library. They had walked about 20 steps when Henry gestured to a cozy store of green and blue. "Here we go," he stated opening the door and pushing the girl into the shop. Her face lit up as she gushed over everything in the shop, from the old fashioned embroidered quilts, the knickknack squirrels, to the raw supplies like brushes and paints. The place smelled like old lady to Henry, but he didn't mind because the girl began to chatter while she circled the store. They started to talk about anything and everything, topics ranging from favorite food to scary nightmares. Henry was trying to use all of her answers to figure out just who she was in the Enchanted Forest, and after being around the girl, he was convinced that she was an important character.

They talked for a bit before Henry brought up the topic of fairy tales attempted to ease her into it after seeing how easily she had startled before. "So I have this book of fairy tales. And I have a hobby of matching people to characters in the story. Can we try to figure out who you'd be?" His fingers were crossed with the hope that she'd agree.

" Oh I don't think I'd be anyone. Maybe one of Cinderella's mice. Cinderellie! You know?" A timid smile was splashed across her face. She took a step back and a thoughtful look passed her face. "Now that I think about it, you had a book when you bumped into me, didn't you?" Only then did Henry realize that he had left his precious book behind, swept up in the whirlwind of the still unnamed girl's strange pace. He ran out of the shop and she followed, sprinting to the corner where they had met.

He stopped short at the sight of the book lying in its fallen position and sighed with relief. The blonde circled around the boy and crouched next to the book. Looking up at him, she stated, "This is the book you were talking about right?" She reached out to pick the hardcover and recoiled when her fingers brushed against the leather book binding. She cradled her hand against her chest and let out a weak whimper. Henry had watched her reach down for the book when suddenly a hand clamped down on his shoulder and he was spun around to see a mixture of worry and anger splashed across Emma's face.

"Kid! Where on earth have you been?" The girl scrambled to stand up at the accusing tone that was often found in Emma's voice. She cowered behind the small boy. Henry opened his mouth to explain, but Emma cut him off with a glare. She turned her gaze on the young adult cowering behind Henry. Emma's special power of reading people was turned to full force at the sight of the stranger's closeness with Henry. She noticed the girl's hair, unbrushed and knotted, and worn out boots. The girl didn't necessarily look full on homeless, there was something off about her overall. She continued to stare at the girl, noting the girl's increasing anguish at Emma's scrutiny, until Henry interjected, saving his new friend.

"I was helping someone who was lost. I started talking to her and I guess we just lost track of time." He offered up a sweet smile and looked Emma in the eye. "Please don't be mad."

Emma sighed, "We were supposed to meet at Granny's forty five minutes ago. I have to get you back to your mom soon."

It was Henry's turn to let out an exasperated sigh, "You don't care about what my mom says, you hate her."

"I wouldn't say that I hate her."

"Fine. You can't stand my mom."

"How can you talk like that?" Both Henry and Emma looked at the previously mute girl. Emma's eyebrow raised and Henry's expression turned stony. "I mean, I love my mother very, very much, and I c-can't bel-lieve that you guys are b-being so m-m-mean." The girl's stutter had gotten progressively worse as she continued to speak. "I u-understand tha-that moms' can d-do…. q-questionable t-th-things, b-b-b-but they love u-us." Mother and son's expression softened at her brimming eyes and sniffly nose.

"No sweetie, you're right, I should be trying more with Henry's mom. It's going to be okay." Emma had no idea what possessed her to call the girl sweetie, except for the effect the girl's aura seemed to have on the people around her. And upon hearing Emma's comforting words, she half-smiled and kneaded her hair that had fallen over her right shoulder. The three of them stood around smiling shyly until the girl's smile turned into a small "o".

"We've been gone 45 minutes?"

"You have, Henry was going to meet me after school, but he never showed."

"Hey I ha-"

"I'm so sorry, I just… have to go." The girl cut in an almost breathless manner.

"Why, is something wrong?" Henry worried as the girl started looking around for her new destination.

"I told you about my mom being sick? I left for groceries and that was too long ago. I really need to go so she isn't sick tomorrow also." She offered a shoulder shrug, but seemed almost reluctant to leave. "It was nice to meet you Henry."

She had walked halfway down the block when Henry had realised something "Wait," He said, starting to walk after her, "I never got your name!"

The girl looked over shoulder and back at the two of them standing on the sidewalk and called, "It's Samantha." She turned a corner and was gone. Henry walked back to Emma, who had picked up Henry's treasured book. The walked in silence to Granny's and thanked Grant when he held the door open for them while he was leaving. They slid into an unoccupied booth and ordered hot chocolates from Ruby.

After a short lapse of silence had passed and suddenly Emma spoke up. "What was up with that girl?"

Henry broke into a smile, "She was Storybrooke weird, alright."

"That's not what I was talking about. She looked like she burned herself when she grabbed that thing." Throwing a glance at the book with _Once Upon a Time_ written in gold lettering across the front.

"What?" Henry grabbed at the book and started leafing through the pages skimming through all of the stories. He started to look panicked and increased the pace of his leafing. When he was done going through the book, he turned back to the first page and started over.

"Whoa there kid, what's wrong now?"

Henry abruptly stopped his frantic search and slammed the book shut. "It's no use," Henry looked down at the book distastefully, "Samantha isn't in the book at all. She's not a part of the story"

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**I am almost definitely writing this to Samantha's character reveal. But after that it totally depends on the response of the beginning.**

**No Pan in the prologue, but the rest of the story takes place in Neverland!(with only a couple flashbacks)**

**Feel free to just be mean (or nice) in the comments.**

**Yay… I think.**


	2. Prologue II: Curiosity

Prologue II: Curiosity

The shadow had just gifted the Lost Boys with a new brother. He stood there whooping and hollering around the campfire with the other boys. He felt as if he belonged. As the decades passed,the boy realized just how twisted his home really was. The nightshade, the weeping children, and the dangerous games. He stayed alert against the dulling lull Pan's pipe would play, tempting him to just give up and fully concede. But he didn't. He stayed strong and fought the tricks of Neverland. But he wasn't rash about it. He acted the part set out for him to play as long as he needed. He feared Pan and Felix more than any other on the island, and was branded weak for that very reason. But he was alive and that was all he ever asked for.

One day, he wanted just a little more. He only wished to be alone for a moment, to have a chance to think without all the whooping and dancing. A moment of... peace. The Lost Boy traveled past the imaginary borders drawn by their king of imagination, and the Lost Boy traveled into a forbidden section of the jungle. He was never curious about the places that were off limits, he knew the saying, curiosity killed the cat, but now that he was in the forbidden section he wondered why it was so taboo. The size of restricted jungle was about a square half-mile, too tiny to hide any dangerous relics or untamed beasts. And yet the Lost Boys had been very adamantly told not to venture into the exact spot that the young boy was now approaching.

He reached a small clearing and drew in a sharp breath that created a low whistle, it was beautiful. The grass was a light green and all sorts of wild flowers grew up in patches, the rocks gleamed from an unknown lustrous metal. It was undeniably girly, but boy had long since forgotten the concept of femininity, and took in the sight with a sense awe he had also forgotten he was capable of. In the middle of the clearing stood a tree. The tree was larger than all the others in the jungle, tall and imposing but still managing to exude a comforting and serene aura. As he stared at the tree something happened to his heart. It was aching. He felt the tree longing for something, someone. The tree was_ incomplete_. The boy gazed at the tree and it didn't seem right anymore, something was amiss. It should be bigger than that. Suddenly, the air around him shimmered and after he blinked, his eyes opened to find it was no longer midnight, but midday.

* * *

_He watched as the sunlight streamed through the branches, catching the pollen in the air and making it glitter. The grass was not visible under the sea of wild flowers. A thousand different colors that might have clashed, had the flowers chosen to grow anywhere but the meadow. The entire space pulsed with a feeling of benevolent magic, and it was then that the child looked at the tree. It was so impossibly larger than what he had seen only seconds ago, that his heart jumped up into his throat and down into his stomach. It would have taken three Lost Boys wrapping their arms around the trunk to embrace the tree fully, and even then, the tips of their fingers would only just be touching. But it wasn't the sudden growth that stopped the boy in his tracks, no, it was the carvings. The tree had an archway at its base that led inside the mostly hollowed out interior. A hammock was strung up in the corner and clay dishes were strewn about a table carved out from the same tree. Picked wildflowers hung to dry sat at the archway, as well as along the hammock. On the outside of the tree, to the left of the doorway was an intricate carving that bit into the rough bark. To the boy it looked like a bunch of swirling lines and scores, until he saw a gorgeous flower emerge from the patterned cuts. The tree itself hummed with a life that the boy had never seen. A magic old and powerful. This was the tree's doing, its memory of a life that was too strong to be forgotten._

_Just then Peter Pan walked past him and towards the tree house and the boy stood frozen, his greatest fear awaking, Pan had caught him breaking the rules. But there was a difference in Peter, and when the boy saw him flicker slightly, he willed himself to breathe again. He let out a nervous chuckle, Peter Pan was part of the magic, and the boy knew that he should flee and never look back. But he stayed rooted in place with an overwhelming desire to see why someone with a heart as black as Pan's was in such a peaceful meadow._

_The child saw that although the teen shared the same face as Pan, the similarities ended there. This Peter had two flowers braided into his hair so they rested behind his right ear. The smile upon his face held no contempt, no evils lurked behind his eyes and he looked content. This sheep in wolf's skin moved at languid pace that showed an ease that the boy had never associated with his leader at all. When Peter had moved until he was about 10 paces away from the tree house, when suddenly, his ankle was jerked upwards, Peter's legs flailing around as he was yanked eight feet off the ground. As he dangled there rotating around and around in a lazy circle, he laughs. Again, the boy is surprised when Pan's laugh resonates around the meadow in a way completely different from what the boy is used to. There is no underlying threat in Peter's laugh, he was simply laughing. The poor boy sat through all the strangeness that presented itself in front of the him, but never ever in the eternity he was destined to spend on Neverland would the boy guess what happened next._

_A soft trilling laughter joined Peter. Granted, it had started off as a strange spluttering laugh, but it soon turned to the delicate giggle that the boy heard mingling with Peter's laugh that finally made the boy fall to his knees in confusion. There was a_ girl_, in _Neverland._ And she seemed to know the impostor Peter Pan._

_Her silhouette stood up in the impossibly high branches of the magic tree. Appearing to be a shadow, her only distinguishable feature was hair cropped to her chin. "Oh dearest my Peter, it do seems you have fallen in the traps I left for those who visit my tree with a perverse intent." Her sarcasm was evident in her voice as the shadow girl swung around on a branch, so she was balancing upside down, hair whooshing and giving the boy a flash of gold before settling back into the shadows._

_"Oh, I assure you that I am only here for the flowers. I was told that my hair looks ridiculous with flowers in one ear, so I have come to balance it out." Peter Pan's smile could be heard in his voice, affection completely unmasked and unabashed._

_The shadow girl moved around in the trees, she hopped from one limb to the next while humming a nameless tune. "You are so very lucky that I am a forgiving soul Pan," Every other word seemed to come from a different branch while she spoke. "All you need to do to get down is to call my true name. In fact sing it! Ohhh, maybe you should dance while singing name. Or dance and sing and proclaim me to be the better climber in all of Never land! Or-"_

_"Please! Please I will ask you to let me down, just stop trying think of punishments." Peter Pan mocking the shadow girl snapped the boy out of his stupor. He really shouldn't be here. He felt the magic in the air and he knew he had intruded on an intimate moment._

_"Yes I really am too nice to stoop to your level of cruelty," The boy trembled, the way the shadow girl spoke, she had absolutely no clue to how cruel Peter Pan can be."Maybe I'll keep talking instead? Did you hear about the one-"_

_Peter Pan's laugh echoed through the meadow, cutting the girl off from saying anything more. "You've already won. I call your name-"_

* * *

The boy cried out in pain as the arrow embedded in his shoulder. The amount of Nightshade had been extremely larger than the normal dosage, and the Lost Boy could already feel the effects draining his life as he sprawled on the light green grass in the now dark meadow. The real Peter Pan stepped out from behind a tree and smiled down at the Lost Boy. The Lost Boy cowered in fear, after seeing Peter with such soft features, the harsh lines and hidden context of his smile were thrown into such a great contrast that the Lost Boy started to cry, the tears streaking down and mixing with the red and black of his wound.

"Now, now. You're not allowed in this part of the jungle. You're breaking the rules, aren't you?' Peter ended with question in order to force the Lost Boy to talk, to hurt him even more.

"I just…" The boy grit his teeth, feeling the strength slip through his fingers that were pressed against the wound. " I wanted to be alone. I didn't mean to see what I saw."

With his apology the boy was ready to die, but Peter Pan was not done with him yet. Pan walked over to the Lost Boy and stuck his bow into the boys wound and growled out "You saw something?"

The boys parlor had gone white and he nodded fervently while whimpering at the pain the bow was causing. "Meadow… Girl… You… flowers in hair." With such feeble last words, the boy slumped forward, dead by the poison he used against his own enemies.

Felix emerged from behind another tree and looked at Pan skeptically, "Flowers?"

Pan walked away from the fallen Lost Boy with a dark look on his face. "It's only the tree Felix. I think I would remember prancing about with fucking flowers in my hair." He looked over his shoulder to the tree and turned back to face Felix. "The tree lies Felix. It lies."

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**Okay, I know I only published this story today, but I felt the need to get both prologues out of the way now. I'm going to work out a schedule for updating, but for now, be ready for random updates…**

**I forgot to mention this part during Samantha's prologue. If you have any guess to who she is feel free to pm me or leave it in the comments. You guys have already started Following and Favoriting, Which makes me all warm and fuzzy :)**

**I'm writing this for you guys so please, enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 1: Magic Beans & Magic Belle

**The story actually begins! Here's the general disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time at all.**

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_Rumpelstiltskin sat in his castle brooding. He rested on his high backed dining chair, looking towards at a certain chipped teacup, but staring far beyond it. The ornate carpets and tapestries no longer held their truest color, fading until a pink twinge was visible throughout the room. But Rumpelstiltskin was past caring about the contents of his castle, his mind too lost in the past to care about the things happening around him. Two loud knocks bounced off the walls, causing him to look up from the cup and turn towards the source of the sound. Someone was knocking! It surely was a change of pace, no one had ever come to his house in order to seek him out, they had always just summoned him. The strangeness of the situation prompted Rumpelstiltskin to answer the door. He wanted to see what kind of fool would seek out the Dark One while being so uneducated in the magic that they travel all the way to his door to speak to him._

_He pulls the door open, silently wincing at the creak it produces from the decades of disuse. What stood before him made him let out an involuntary, yet signature laugh that Rumpelstiltskin is known to make. It was a girl standing at his step. And truly a girl, for she couldn't be more than fifteen years old. Rumpelstiltskin looks at the girl and realizes just how strange her appearance is; she wears a peasant's cloak and boots, both brown and too big for the girl's frame. Her dress in comparison, pinches at her wrists and collar in noticeably uncomfortable fashion. The old embroidered dress also comes up short, leaving an inch of shins exposed to the brisk late autumn weather. Mud splatters are evident across the bottom hem of her dress and her chin also sports signs of mud. Her hair is pulled into a braid that falls past her shoulders and would have shone like the gold he weaves, if it wasn't in the same state of the rest of her. 'Is that a twig in there?' Rumpelstiltskin thinks to himself as he spots a small branch with a leaf still attached sticking out of the girl's complex plait._

_She talks before Rumpelstiltskin has chance to speak, " Oh wow, your face! Has it always been so scaly?" Rumpelstiltskin is completely floored by the innocence in her question, and the lack of fear in her eyes._

_His grin turns malicious when he responds, "Well dearie, I've heard of house calls, but I think you got it wrong. I choose who to make deals with, not the other way around."_

_"Okay, who else can I go to?" The girl asks with a tilt to her chin._

_Rumpelstiltskin looks at the girl in disbelief and starts to circle her in a predatory manner. "There is no other, dearie. I am the only Dark One around. And if you're here then you want to make a deal, let me guess what it is you desire. Ooh, do you want a makeover for the ball for that special someone?" His voice going an octave higher and accenting the word "special" changing it to spec-IAL._

_"No," The girl shakes her head in denial, "I just want to be free."_

_Rumpelstiltskin stops stalking around the child, and she turns to face him. "Dearie, I'm more traps and curses than a knight in shining armor come to free the princess."_

_"I don't know much about magic," Confessing what Rumpelstiltskin already knew, "But I have heard stories about how you've helped Snow White and Cinderella. I ran away. From someone who knows magic, she's probably not as skilled as you, but I fear she can use it to track me down."_

_"You have no worries then, just keep moving and never settle down. You will be utterly fine dearie." Rumpelstiltskin goes to enter his castle, but when he passes the pauper, he senses a wave of strong tracking magic moving through her veins. He turns back to her, "The witch has a lock of your hair? Well doesn't that make things... complicated."_

_"What should I do? What can I do to get away."_

_"Magic doesn't work that way dearie, there is not a single way you can escape her in the Enchanted forest."_

_"Then l will leave the Enchanted Forest. I promise you, I will not let her use me again." The fool's palms clench into small fists at her side._

_"There is an old legend, one that borders on ancient, about leaving the forest and traveling to another world." He takes a second to pause, giggling in a way he knows will make the child uncomfortable."Duh-Dada-Daah! A Magic Bean is what you seek. But all magic comes with a price, and my price is..." He pauses again, this time to build suspense."The rest of your hair."_

* * *

Mr. Gold's fingers twirl as he creates the ball of fire in his palm before launching at the prepared fireplace, watching in a face of utter concentration as the fire is quickly magicked to life. He walks around the fire, facing a large rock and casting a shadow. He lifts his arms, moving them slowly until they are half raised. Mr. Gold flicks his wrists, entrapping his own shadow to the rock. He pulls out the dagger, his dagger, and bends down to dislodge his shadow from himself. It's extremely painful, a pain similar to a thousand acid tipped needles pulling a tongue from a victim's mouth, but it pales in comparison to the loss of Baelfire. The shadow moves around on the rock, getting used to being a separate entity from Gold.

Mr. Gold offers up the dagger to the shadow instructing, "You know what to do. Hide it where no one can find it. Not even me." Gold's shadow snatches the problem dagger and flies off into the night, eyes glowing red. Mr. Gold turns around to see hooded figure waiting for him. On alert, Mr. Gold approaches the stranger and pulls down their hood. He let's out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding.

"Belle. I don't understand. How did you get here?" The shock of seeing someone who should be worlds away colors his voice.

She softly chides him for his garb. "I thought you didn't dress like that anymore. I thought that this was your past."

"Well this is now my future. Becoming this again." He raises his palms and gestures towards himself as he continues. "The Dark One. Thats the only way I'll save my grandson."

Belle reaches up and caresses Mr. Gold's cheek, feeling his smooth, unscaled cheek. "But you haven't completely become him, have you." Belle leans forward. "There's still hope." Their lips touch for two heartbeats before he pushes her away in panic.

"You're not really here, are you?" His face twists into one of distrust and disgust.

Belle takes a half step back and scoffs at Mr. Gold. "No of course not, I'm still in Storybrooke. Right where you left me."

"Are you okay?" He inquires, "Did the protection spell work?"

"It did, we're all fine. Storybroke's safe. We all are."

Mr. Gold springs forward and starts to choke her, unprompted. "How do I know these aren't just lies meant to lead me astray?" He's shaking her slightly. "How do know Pan didn't just conjure up a vision of you?"

She's able to choke out the answer. "He didn't... you did. The question is why?"

*Mr. Gold releases Belle from the chokehold and sinks down to sit on a log. Belle joins him leaving a good three feet of space between the two. They sit in silence for a minute, Gold searching for the reason she's in Neverland.

"Why are you here Belle?" He looks into her eyes, searching for the answers.

"Only you know." She responds gently.

Mr. Gold gets off the log and starts pacing back and forward. He finally whips around and exclaims, "I know that I have to sacrifice myself for my grandson, for my son's sake." He draws in a breath, "But I'm a coward. Pan offered me a deal, I let him keep Henry and he allows me to live. I felt like the boy needn't be my undoing. Pan was able to manipulate me so fast."

"Abandoning Henry would be the selfish choice, but are you sure the only way to save Henry is to die yourself?"

"Belle, I've exhausted all options before it came to this."

Belle stands up and puts a hand over Mr. Gold's wrist, halting his rapid pacing,"You're in Neverland. A place where imagination runs while. A place where dreams and reality tend to blur, is there truly no way to save him and yourself?"

Mr. Gold looks over at Belle and jerks his hand from her grasp. "There is no way to-"

Belle cuts him off by changing the topic in an abrupt and inorganic manner. "How have your dreams been since Neverland?" She looks at him in a manner that says if he don't understand by now than there is no chance he will ever get it.

"Belle, I don't see how my REM cycle has anyth-" He doesn't finish this thought either, remembering the his most recent dream. Now that he was putting effort into recalling his dreams, one came to mind. He could remembering every vivid detail about the dream with the runaway girl, a girl that he had never met. Mr. Gold looks over at Belle with a confused look in his eye."A dream? I don't get how a dream will save me from my fate."

"Dreams that don't even feel like you're asleep must mean something! You're Rumpelstiltskin," She scolds him with stern glare, "So I don't believe that you don't find it the least bit odd that you can recall everything about a dream."

"What should I do about a dream then, Belle." Mr. Gold replies, becoming frustrated. "I am destined to save Henry through my sacrifice, so how do I use the maybe precognitive dream to save my skin?"

"Let me help," Belle reaches forward and touches Mr. Gold's forehead. His eyes roll back and he falls to collapses to the ground. Belle looks down at his crumpled form and smiles sweetly, flickering from view.

* * *

_He's dreaming again. Being so defenselessly asleep is a dangerous thing to do anywhere, but most especially in Neverland. only knows it's a dream because he sees Belle standing next to him. She doesn't belong in this dream, he realizes. He isn't allowed any time to dwell on Belle's intrusion in his dream because she suddenly emits a white flash from her eyes and vanishes. He is filled with a strong sense of melancholy at her disappearance, but he turns his attention to the dream. It is supposedly filled with the answers to why his mind made a projection of Belle. His face is turned to side, staring at the corner of his castle where Belle was moments before, and he takes in the state that his fortress is in . A thick layer of dust coats the entirety of the walls, floors, and furniture. His right arm is propping one of the massive doors open and he notices the dust is even coating his clothes. 'What in the world is going on' Mr. Gold contemplates when his body starts to move without him, turning his face to face the forest outside the confines of his house. His mind catches up with the dream and suddenly he's Rumpelstiltskin again, his mind dispelling all thoughts of Mr. Gold._

_Rumpelstiltskin stares down at the girl standing at his door. She had just paid his price for the magic she so desperately seeks, and it make Rumpelstiltskin smile at how awful she looks. The price of the bean could have been paid with one strand of hair, but the naive girl had taken a knife to the base of her braid and handed Rumpelstiltskin more hair than he preferred. She stands at his step, rocking back and forth in order to adjust to the sudden change in weight. The longest hair falls just below her chin, too short to not be noticed. She smiles and runs a hand through it. "Thank you, I kept meaning to cut it. To disguise myself and such. But I guess I just didn't have the courage."_

_"Dearie it was you held the knife."_

_"Yeah I know, but it was your terms. It's thanks to you Rumpelstiltskin." Her sincerity certainly got annoying fast to Rumpelstiltskin, so he reaches into his coat and pulls out a small drawstring bag. He tosses it towards the girl and she catches it and opens it, looking at the opaque bean. She nods her head and throws herself at Rumpelstiltskin, wrapping her small arms around him and only letting ago when she hears him inhale air fast enough to create a hiss. He steps back and smiles venomously, "You have your bean. Now run along before mommy catches wind of darling daughter." He watches her pale, feeling no remorse for the hateful words he had just given her. She nods once, then turns on her heel and almost sprints away from Rumpelstiltskin. He lets the door fall shut and walks back to his chair, sinking into the molded cushions and returning his gaze just beyond the teacup._

* * *

Mr. Gold wakes up with a start. Sweat is covering his brow, and his heart cannot seem to slow down. The surge of magic he had felt when the dream girl had embraced had been powerful. She had truly believed in him, even though she had grown up with stories of the evil that is the Dark One. His mind was running with all the possibilities that were suddenly very plausible. The girl who only exists in his dreams can help save both his grandson and himself. He stops short when that thought crosses his mind. How could he use her if she was a dream? He needs her heart in place of Henry's, but what can he do? He exhales, deflated at the reality of the situation. The faux Belle had filled his head with pointless hope. Mr. Gold paces around for an hour, debating the meaning of all that had happened to him so far.

He decides to search out the girl, a Hail Mary meant to keep his spirits up. puts out his hands and summons his shadow, calling it to him. The shadow arrives in due time, almost exuding annoyance at the summoning. Gold hurries to the shadow, "You've hidden the dagger?" A nod is all the confirmation he needs to continue. "Good. Now find the girl. You know the one I speak of. Search for her in every world, nook, and hiding place you can think of. Bring her to me." The shadows eyes flash red before speeding off to complete his first task. As the shadow races away Mr. Gold whispers, "Hurry. She's the key."

* * *

***The dialogue changes here so Rumpelstiltskin's father isn't a plot. That plot twist really pissed me off. **

**I figured out when I'm going to update! Excluding the 18th, my update day will be every Wednesday. I'm not updating on the 18th because I have a test and a project due that day and I don't think I can write a new chapter on top of memorizing polyatomic ions.  
**

**Feel free to ****comment and make suggestions on the story. **

**Love you guys :)**


	4. Chapter 2: The Darling Pirate

**Okay new schedule plan. I'll follow this and then I'll return to my original Wednesdays update plan, I just want to introduce my OC ASAP.**

**Chapters****:**

**4)The Darling Pirate- 12/21/13**

**5)That One Lost Girl- 12/23/13**

**6)The Will to Escape- 12/26/13**

* * *

"I take it by your tone, perms are bad." Hook calls out to Emma, who was paces ahead of him now. He set off to catch up to the rest of the group when he hears the stiff call out, "Up here! We made it." Hook walks up to see all them standing in a row looking out over a ledge. He walks around them to join the line, leaning against the tree closest to Mary Margaret.

"Pan's lair should be just right-" Regina cuts him off before he can continue, "Where? All I see is jungle."

Hook resists the urge to roll his eyes at the whine that never seems to leave Regina's voice. "Aye the Dark Jungle," He pauses in order pull his telescope open with his mouth. As he surveys the jungle he continues, "It's, uh, grown somewhat since I last stepped foot in Neverland."

"So this nature hike was for nothing." Hook wasn't sure if he could take much more of Regina's complaining.

Of course David steps in to make everything better, "Hook may have led us astray," Hook didn't have to look at David to know the prince held a smug look in his eyes, "But at least we're in a good position to start combing the jungle."

"Not exactly," Hook interjects, "The dark jungle's the last place you want to set foot, we'll have to go around it." He shrugs as if he hadn't just made their task more difficult than it already is. "In order to do that, we're gonna need our strength. I suggest we make camp."

Regina turns indignant at the suggestion of camp, "You want to sleep while my son is out there suffering?" She gestures towards the Dark Jungle.

"If you wanna live long enough to save the boy," Hook gives a slight pause, letting the boy's family ponder the implications of his statement. "Yes."

David sighs, sheathing his sword in an act of submission that allows Hook to take charge of the walks back into the treeline, David and Regina following. Mary Margaret and Emma stay at the ledge and Hook can hear the beginnings of their unique mother daughter time. He leads the other two down a hill and to a clearing that would serve well as a rendezvous. They collect firewood, both David and Hook zoning Regina out as she continues to rant about the jungle. When it come time to physically start the fire they face a problem, "Just do it manually." Hooks repeats for the fifth time, "It's not worth wasting magic on."

"Then you can start it manually." Regina feels the need to exercise her magic for no logical reason, and it's starting to irritate the men. Emma and Mary Margaret join them and sees whats transpiring.

"For God's sake, I'll do it!" Emma goes over and starts the fire in no time at all. David and Mary Margaret lie down together, Emma sits down somewhat close to them, and Regina goes to the edge of the campsite to lie down. Hook lies down, wondering if he'll be able to fall asleep in Neverland, a place he hasn't been in so long. He drifts away and into an extremely fitful sleep.

* * *

_The wind whips Hook's face as he steers the Jolly Roger around the Neverland sea. He has sailed these waters enough to know that even the ocean holds a dark, mischievous intent when in Neverland. Smee scurries across the deck, squeaking out orders in his usual manner, meaning he really shouldn't. The pirate in the crow's nest hums a nameless tune and the rest of the crew nod along. Shift change rolls around and the entire crew, save the one who was singing, goes below to crash into the hammocks that rock violently. Hook stops to talk to the girl, seeing her throw herself on the railing of the ship and settle into a sitting position._

_"Are you finding it difficult to fall asleep Darling?" His concern is true, despite his teasing tone._

_The girl's lip curls at the nickname, "Why am I called Darling? Of all the terrifying pirate names you could have given me, Darling? Am I that unimposing?" And that is exactly what Hook thinks. The girl had been with them for twelve years, but she is stuck in a limbo looking the age she was when she first met Hook; stuck at the adolescent age of seventeen. Wearing a loose-fitting emerald shirt and trousers doesn't help her seem mature. In fact, paired with her strange unevenly cropped hairstyle, she looks younger than her years; she appears to be fifteen in a certain light. Hook smirks and joins her on the ledge of boat, taking care to grip some of the Jolly Roger's riggings to secure himself._

_"You've been here for how long now?" He asks rhetorically, "Yet you never bore of complaining. You're namesake comes from my first stowaway's family. As I've told you a thousand and one times before, he came to Neverland to save his Darling family."_

_"His darling family? Or his family Darling?" She jests at him and he responds with a chuckle._

_"The pirate girl has a joke? I am shocked, Darling." She smiles and stands up, balancing with her arms out as she precariously stands on the edge. Hook reaches out to secure her, but she jumps out-of-the-way, arms swinging in a windmill motion._

_"See, I like Pirate Girl. It has a nice ring to it." She slips off the edge of the ship and turns in circles, arms still out. "I'm the Pirate Girl!" She yells with a giggle._

_"Yes, yes. The Pirate Girl who should be sleeping, but instead is standing at the helm twirling like an idiot." Hook gets off the edge also, deciding to take over steering, much to Smee's dismay._

_She stops spinning and looks at Hook, "I have troubles sleeping." The newly dubbed Pirate Girl grows somber. "This place is great, but it's hard for me to fall asleep."_

_Her somber attitude is met with Hooks grim expression. "I don't think you will ever find a peaceful rest here, Darling."_

_Pirate Girl let out a sigh and fell to the floor splaying her body like a starfish. "Oh woes is me! I cannot find peace!" She starts to move her arms and legs in a fashion similar to making a snow angel. "Captain, I would feel better if I could do another shift as lookout. I would be able to sleep after a time spent in the crow's nest." She smiles at him in a pleading manner, lifting her head from the deck in order for him to see the smile._

_Hook's right eyebrow raises, "I don't usually condone this Darling, but I trust your vision more than Jarvis's. Feel free to return to your tower."_

_Pirate Girl stands up, clapping her hands in excitement. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She hops around for a bit before looking back at Hook. "Don't be mean to Jarvis, he tries his best."_

_Hook scoffs, "He only joined he crew of the Jolly Roger in order to escape death from age."_

_"He's not that old."_

_"Well, if he's so young then he can stay in the crow's nest." Hook gets her to stop talking with his threat. The conversation dies as Pirate Girl stands there with her mouth open enough to catch flies. She rapidly shakes her head back and forth in an act of defiance, her hair clouding around her face as she moves her head at a fast paced rhythm. "Nononononono. I'll take his place. I'll take his place!"_

_She approaches the crow's nest and starts to climb up, scaling the riggings faster than anyone Hook has ever seen. Half way up she stops, gripping the rope tight and staring into the distance._

_"Lost Ones!" She calls out as she scurries down towards the deck. "They're coming!" The crew is thrown into a panicked pushing and shoving match in hurry to get things ready, while Hook pulls the girl off the rope and starts dragging her below deck._

_"That incompeten__t old bat! I swear I will throw him off this ship next chance I get." Hook mumbles as tugs the girl along._

_"It's really not Jarvis's fault." She tries to cover for the aged pirate but Hook will not allow it._

_"Really?! Really Darling? If he's not to blame than who is?" Hook opened the hatch that had another a lifetime ago and shoved the girl into the storage area. "You saw the Lost Ones and you weren't even in the crow's nest!"_

_"Captain?" The girl looks at him with a terrified expression. "Are you sure? Are you sure about the hiding spot?" She's trembling at this point._

_Hook smiles to lighten the mood. "Your skepticism is insulting. This isn't my first time Darling." She smiles back halfheartedly. The Pirate Girl hoists herself off the floor and perches on the beams above, hiding out of the way while staying in plain sight. He closes the door and returns above deck in time to see the Lost Boys fanning out around the deck. Felix stands there, sullen as Hook remembers him. Hook walks up to him, a subtle scowl on Hook's face and a not so subtle scowl on Felix's. "Ahh Felix, I don't think I have any young boys hanging around me, and I doubt he wants any of my crew. So the question becomes: why are the Lost Ones on the Jolly Roger?"_

_"He felt a disturbance." Felix supplies in an annoyed clipped tone. "There's an intruder in Neverland, and given your... history, I assumed you are offering sanctuary to the impostor."_

_Hook loses his pretenses and full on scowls. "There's no boy on the Jolly Roger"_

* * *

Emma rushes back into the camp, making the most noise possible in the jungle. Mary Margaret and David wake up at the ratchet, still trying to shake the sleep from their eyes. Emma stands by the fire and starts to wake everyone up. "Guys!" She yells, fully waking her parents and causing Regina to jump up.

"What the hell Emma?" She screeches.

"I met with Pan." Emma says, keeping a poker face present as the three others suddenly jump up and crowd her.

"You saw Pan?"

"What'd he say?"

"And you just stood there?"

"Regina, I'm sure she has a rea-"

"My son is out there and I can't believe that she just stood there an-"

"We have other problems guys. Emma, what did he want?" Emma stands there, clutching the sheet of paper with dear life. She looks around, noting that Hook hadn't moved a muscle throughout all the commotion. She has no time to think about Hook's unusual response being pulled back into the conversation by Mary Margaret.

Mary Margaret places her hand on Emma's arm in a comforting gesture. "Emma, what happened with Pan?"

Emma looks frustrated as she explains all that happened moments before. She finishes her story and looks out at everyone's expressions. David and Mary Margaret share a similar look of shock, and Regina's face twists into one of great distaste. They stare off into space, thinking of the possibility of finding Henry and the likely chance of Pan's deceit. It's now that Mary Margaret notices the unconscious pirate, but unlike her daughter, Mary Margaret springs into action. She goes to the slumped form and shakes him, slightly at first but growing more panicked when he doesn't stir. "Hook?" She gently prods him, but still no response. "Hook? Hook, wake up!" The panic in Mary Margaret brings everyone from the ordeal with Pan to pirate. They all go to Mary Margaret's side and try to wake him up. David eventually pulls him off the ground and places him on a trunk.

"We don't have time for this." He states, "We should be looking for Pan."

"I know, but we can't just leave Hook here. This could have something to do with Neverland magic. Or Pan could just be playing a trick on us." Mary Margaret looks at David and then down at Hook, as if debating what to do.

Regina smiles, "Then I have a solution."

"Wha-" before Mary Margaret can continue, Regina steps forward and raises her hand above her head. She brings it down in a swift motion across Hook's face before anyone has a chance to stop her. Hook's eyes snap open and his hand flies to his red cheek. "Bloody Hell!" He almost falls off the log and only just regains his balance. "What was that for?"

He doesn't get an immediate answer because a look of understanding pass between David and Mary Margaret and the both get to their feet, David unsheathing his sword. "We'll go look for Pan, he might still be around. You explain what's going on to sleeping beauty." He and Mary Margaret set off into the tree line without another word.

Hook takes inventory of the situation and sighs, leaning his elbow on his knee in a slouched position. "What did Pan do?"

Emma explains what she knows about the "map" for a second time. Hook just nods along, listening with half interest as Emma tries to understand how to read the parchment. Usually he would have paid full attention to the blonde, but right now he couldn't shake the strongest sense of déjà vu he's ever had. He didn't even notice when Emma finished her story, nor did he notice her place the paper down on another tree stump and stare at it for a long period of time. It was Regina's pacing that brought him back to the matters at hand.

Hook breaks the uncomfortable silence that he's only now noticing. "He so likes his games."

"What game! There's nothing there!" Regina argues, glaring accusingly at the blank page.

Hook groans inwardly, "If he said there's a map on this parchment, then there is."

"Great." Emma turns sarcastic. "So then if I just stop denying who I really am," She runs her hands through her hair. "Whatever that means. Then we'll be able to read this thing."

"How do we know Pan won't use it to lead us straight into a trap?" Regina asks in an annoyed tones.

Hook has forgotten what it's like to have to be around a person like Regina. But he answers her all the same. "Because he doesn't need to. This_ whole_ island is his bloody trap."

David and Mary Margaret return just before Regina has a chance to say something else. David is ahead of Mary Margaret so he is the one to tell them their findings. "There's no sign of him anywhere."

Mary Margaret catches up to him and looks towards her daughter. "Any luck with the map?"

Regina lets out a scoff. "Don't hold your breath."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Emma whips her head and looks at Regina, mad at her last comment.

Regina takes Emma's acknowledgement as an invitation to speak out. "Don't you see what he's doing?" She asks, raising her hands and gesturing along with her statement. "Every second we spend talking about this, is another second we're not looking for my son!"

Emma returns her gaze to the map, her hands holding her forehead up. "You got a better idea?"

"Magic." David lets out a huge sigh and everyone bristles at Regina's suggestion. "If there's a lock on there I'll find a way around it." Regina walks towards Emma and reaches down to take the map, but Emma quickly slaps her hand away from the paper.

Emma's attention goes to Regina for a second. "Pan said it had to be me."

Hook tries to dissuade Regina. "I'd listen to Emma love, breaking Pan's rules will be unwise"

"Sadly I agree with the pirate." David states, crossing his arms over his chest and planting his feet apart.

Hook looks over at David and breaks out into a huge smirk. "I'm winning you over, I can feel it."

Mary Margaret brings the discussion back to the map. "And your magic doesn't exactly have a gentle touch Regina."

"Use it on the map and it might blow up in all our faces." David backs up his wife's opinion on the magic suggestion.

"Well that's a risk I'm willing to take." Regina says, her voice starting to raise.

"Well I'm not" Emma stands up with the map in her hand. "If I'm the one who's supposed to figure out this thing, I need to do what Pan says."

"Great!" With a final flourish of her hands, Regina turns away from the group.

"She'll get there." Mary Margaret says to Regina's back. She takes a few steps toward Emma, offering up moral support. "Hey, don't give up. He's playing a _game_." Her eyes hold her love for her daughter as she tells Emma, "You can win."

Hook feels like he's intruding on family time once again, and he wishes he had a way to escape. He gets up, nodding towards David and smiling when David huffs out in an indigent tone and goes over to be with his wife and daughter. Hook ambles over to a tree and sits down, resting his back against the trunk. He feels his eyelids drooping, but he fights it, trying to keep lookout for anything suspicious lurking about. His mind wanders through, to the dream he was having before Regina so crudely slapped him awake. He can't remember much about the dream, save a few fuzzy details. He remembers lying to Felix in order protect a child,_ 'It must have been Baelfire,'_ he thought. Content with his reasoning for the déjà vu feeling, Hook allows himself to close his eyes for just one moment.

* * *

_Hook inhales deeply, tasting the salt of the ocean lingering in the air. He cracks open one eye and sees his crew going about their business on the Jolly Roger. He's lounging on a barrel, his feet propped up on the railing overlooking the rest of the ship. Hook smiles to himself and moves around slightly, searching out the most comfortable position. The girl at the wheel sees the pirate stir. "Captain, are you absolutely positive about this?" She holds the wheel more tightly than necessary._

_Hook smiles at her. "Now Darling, if I didn't want to condition you for this, would you be there?"_

_They fall into a comfortable silence, the girl steering and Hook close by in case she needs assistance. Hook dozes off a couple times, waking up with a small jolt each time. During one of his self-awakening __motions, he accidentally falls off the barrel and onto his butt. Hook looks up to see the girl biting back laughter. He raises his eyebrow at the girl, "Is something funny Darling?"_

_Her shoulders shake with the exertion of not laughing. "No sir," Her eyes sparkle with humor. "Nothing is funny at all."_

_Hook stands up and lets out a laugh. He looks at the girl and smirks. It is too much for her and she falls on her own butt letting out spluttering giggles, choking a little bit. Hook takes the wheel of the ship, seeing as the girl is indisposed. She rolls on the floor for a short time before getting up and taking Hook's place on the unoccupied barrel. Her elbows rested on her knees as she sat there, kicking her legs out in an act of boredom. Suddenly Jarvis calls out, "Lost Ones." Hook looks over the side of the ship and lets out a frustrated noise. The Lost Boys were seconds away. The girl had joined him in looking over the railing and he makes haste to pull her back._

_"Get away from the edge." He hissed. "It's decided. I am going to murder Jarvis." The girl looks scared but Hook is more concerned about hiding her. He spots a feathered hat* and grabs it off the floor, crushing it over her head. "Stay out of sight and don't let them see you." She nods her head and takes the wheel._

_The Lost Ones board the Jolly Roger and waste no time with anything, immediately starting their search. Hook storms over and faces off against Felix, staring at the boy with an obvious angry face. "What is all of this?" He screams at Felix. "Haven't you searched my ship enough times this decade?!"_

_Felix was annoyingly calm. "_He_ felt the presence of an intruder, _again_." Felix walks around Hook and continues to talk. "You aren't being forthcoming Hook, he knows that their on this ship."_

_Hook gets in front of Felix, blocking him from the wheel. "You've looked here before and found nothing. How is the intruder on my ship then?"_

_Hooks attempt to block Felix from the wheel of the ship fails, as Felix sprints away from Hook, climbs the stairs, and stands next to the helmsman with the hat pulled over her face. "Then who is _this_, Hook?" He grabs her shoulder yanking away from the helm. A crew member rushes and replaces her position on the helm. Felix pulls her in front of Hook, his fist clenching at her shirt. "No boys on your ship Hook?" He smiles ominously at Hook, his lips curling over his teeth. "_He_ will have your head for this. Not just your life, the Jolly Roger has just lost its _privilege_ to stay in Neverland."_

_Hook scowls and the girl pushes Felix away, rushing to stand next Hook. She raises her chin and Felix hisses at her. "But mister." She growls, "I am no boy." She stands in front of Hook and the feather on her hat tickles at his nose. He swats at it and she notices, looking back at him and smiling. She tips her hat to hims and spins around to face the livid Lost Boy. "I am called Darling, or other times Pirate Girl and honestly I prefer the latter." She looks straight into Felix's eye. "The captain has not broken your rules. He wasn't allowed to take any boys in, he only offered refuge to a girl who was lost."_

_Hook can see the wheels in Felix's head turning as he thinks of what to do. Felix growls at them. "A_ pirate girl_ in Neverland doesn't work out well for you either Hook. She's coming with us." He pauses and puts as much contempt as possible in his next words. "_He_ will decide her fate." Hook moves to hit Felix but the girl puts a hand his shoulder stopping him._

_She looks at him, taking off the ridiculous hat and throwing it aside. The Pirate Girl reaches up to her neck and pulls off a necklace Hook wasn't aware she had. It was more like a vial, filled with a clear liquid that Hook could not identify. As he looks at the vial he sees an almost gold tint to previously assumed colorless liquid. She holds it out to Hook and gestures for him to take the vial. "Here captain," Her voice barely cracks, but he notices and holds out his hands to receive the vial. "Take this as thank you. It can help you out of a sticky situation."_

_Hook looks down at the girl he had taken in twenty years ago. "You don't have to do this Darling."_

_"How touching." They both look up at Felix standing in front of them. He gestures to the Lost Ones' boats in mock chivalry. "But it's time to go..._Darling_."_

_She hugs Hook closely and then lets go. "Bye, captain. Don't be too mean to Jarvis, okay?"_

* * *

Hook's eyes snap open. He looks around but nothing has changed within the camp. Regina's still brooding and the family of the year still sits there, staring at the paper. He can hear Emma go "I am Emma Swan." in the distance, but he doesn't care at all. He's visibly shaking from the dream he just had, and he reaches up to rub any sign of sleep from his eyes. He pulls back his hand and looks at the wet palm. Why was he crying?

* * *

***Imagine Barbossa's hat from Pirates of the Caribbean.**

**Okay so like the schedule at the top says, there's two more chapters this week...Yay! After that, as long as, like, two people say "Hey can you continue the story?" I will. This chapter was pretty long so I feel I should warn you, the next chapter will be short. **

**justwonderingwhoiam: I passed my quiz and did well on my project and it was awesome of you to wish me luck.**

**polly and her cracker: I'm glad my story can warrant hair pulling action. Samantha's story really comes into play chapter 6**

**Guest: I don't know your four different people or one, but you rock :) **

**Can you guess who's going to have the dreams next?**_** Next**** Chapter: The One Lost Girl. **_


	5. Chapter 3: That One Lost Girl

**I gave a warning at the end of last chapter about this chapter's length compared to the last, but sometimes people will skip the author's note just to save time. (*cough cough* I'm just as guilty)**

**Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to OUAT**

* * *

"What's that?" Henry asks as he walks up to Peter Pan; who is currently dipping an arrow in a dark jar of black liquid that is being held by a Lost Boy.

Peter answers, "Dreamshade. It's a nasty poison," Peter removes the arrow and blows at the arrowhead, drying the dreamshade. "We have a story here about a man who once shot an apple off his son's head with an arrow." Peter takes the crossbow from his side and pulls the string taunt. The smile on Peter's face grows. "Let's find out if it's possible." He knocks the arrow.

Henry notices that the boy who had held the dreamshade for Pan now tosses the apple up in the air. Henry looks at the apple and then at Pan. "If you're shooting an apple, what's the poison for?"

Peter swings the crossbow around to face Henry. He draws the crossbow close to his face, aiming at Henry's heart. "Motivation not to miss. Felix!" Felix looks up at Henry and Pan's stance from his crouched position at the fire. He has a makeshift toothpick in his mouth and is smiling eerily. "Get over here."

Felix throws his club over his shoulder and walks over to Pan and Henry. He casts a shadow over Henry while smiling down at him. "Wait is Felix good? Is his aim good?" Henry asks, getting nervous and slowly backing up.

Peter answers, "Doesn't matter." He hands the crossbow to Henry, whose eyes keep averting from Felix's smiling face. "You're the doing the shooting."

"But I-I don't want to shoot" Henry's distress fuels Pan and Felix's resolve even more. The Lost Boy who had the apple tosses it to Felix, who catches it as he starts backing away from Peter and Henry. The Lost Boys start to chant the word 'shoot' over and over.

"You won't hit him." Pan reassures Henry. Henry watches as Felix puts the apple on his head, still backing away and refusing to break eye contact with Henry. Henry takes aim. "Trust yourself go on. It's exhilarating!" Peter and Felix take up the cry the Lost Boys started, going, "Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot." The boys gradually increase both the tempo and volume of the cry, until Henry has a hard time focusing on the apple instead the Lost Boys. Pan raises his left arm and points at Felix, silencing all the Lost Boys. Henry takes aim and spins around and shoots at Peter Pan's heart. Pan catches it one handed, eyebrow raised and smirk present on his face. Everyone breaks out into loud cheers as soon as Henry tries to murder Pan. "Told you it was exhilarating." Pan tosses the arrow that had made an attempt at his life aside with an unnatural ease. "Come on I have something to show you." Pan leads Henry away from the Lost Boys, and out of Felix's sight. Not that he cares. He goes over and squats by the fire again, laughing at something one of Lost Boys says. He had known that Henry was going to shoot at Pan the moment Pan handed Henry the crossbow. All of it _had_ to be part Pan's master plan to corrupt Henry, otherwise Felix would be very… confused as to why his life was just risked. Pan and Henry came back some time later and Henry went off to the corner and sits down on the log. Pan nods to Felix, indicating his summons. Felix gets up and moves in front of Pan and waits for his orders. "Be expecting an old friend very soon."

"I don't have many friends." Felix is digging for more information and Pan provides. "Baelfire." With that one sentence, Felix takes off into the jungle to wait for the arriving guest.

As Neal touches down from his flight with the shadow, Felix speaks from behind to scare him. "Welcome home, Baelfire." Neal looks around to see Felix push off a tree, his club slung over his shoulder and a lamp in his other hand. Felix smiles and before Neal knows what is happening Felix has overpowered him and is binding his hands together in front of him. Felix pushes Neal through the forest, walking behind Neal to ensure he doesn't try escape. After some time of walking Felix grows bored of the silence and instead tries to goad Neal. "Feels like just yesterday I welcomed you to Neverland the first time Baelfire." His tone is purposefully grating. "Gotta say, hoped I'd never see you again." He pushes Neal forward with his club, unaware of the annoyed expression on Neal's face.

"Maybe Pan shouldn't have taken my son." Neal calls back to Felix.

"Maybe you should have left well enough alone." Felix mocks Neal by parroting the beginning of his response.

Neal smiles shortly and then grows serious once more. "I'm going to get him back." He says with the utmost conviction.

"You really believe that? You were a Lost Boy, you know Peter Pan's not to be trifled with. You know how long he's been searching for the heart of the truest believer." Felix is too lost in his monologue to notice Neal pulling one of his hands out of the rope. "Do you really believe he'll just give him up?"

"Maybe, if I ask nicely." Neal says with a shrug.

Felix lets out a scoff that changes into low laughter. "You may have grown up Baelfire," he starts, "But it would appear you have grown up stupid." Like before, Felix misses Neal completely freeing himself from the bindings.

"I have grown up." Neal begins, "I don't know if I'm stupid or not, *but I_ do_ know I know how to tie an overhand knot." Neal swings both his hand around in a fluid motion, hitting Felix in the temple. Felix only has time to think_ 'Oh shi-'_ before crumpling to the ground.

* * *

_Felix sighed to himself. He had let himself get knocked out by someone like _Baelfire,_ Pan was going to be pissed. He was dreaming, which made _him_ mad. He didn't like to dream, considering how lucid he was during them. As usual, he was sitting in a hollowed out tree, wildflowers hanging pretty much everywhere. 'Annoying' he thought. He hated the tree where his dreams always began, but he hated leaving the tree more. That's when things would change. He sighed, pushing himself out of the hammock and moving to the archway. He prepared to step outside, knowing full well that he won't wake up until he leaves the tree and experiences whatever he had to. Because as soon as he walks away, he'll lose control of his body, saying and doing things that are similar to his personality, but not quite true. Dreading what's coming, Felix puts one foot on the grass just beyond the archway and is sucked into a darkness._

_When he opens his eyes, he is pacing in front of six Lost Boys who are standing attention close to a ledge. He can hear the ocean hitting against rocks and sighs internally, the water explains why the Lost Boys are soaking wet. The drenched boys stand there waiting for Felix to scold them. They're trying not to smile and Felix wants to strangle them for being so nonchalant, but he is powerless to this body. He stops pacing and stands in a spot where all the Lost Boys can see his anger easily. "What. Were. You. Thinking?" His body hisses. "What possessed you to think that jumping into the ocean would be okay?" It continues, "We are supposed to be hunting. And I find you splashing around like idiots? That's a fifteen foot drop!" Felix doesn't care about the fact that they had just risked their lives, it irks him that they disobeyed Pan's rules. They will not get away with this. One of them feel especially courageous and puts their hand in the air, raising it as high as it can go, bending their body so that their hand will be farther up in the air. They sit waiting for Felix to notice and once he does, he silently screams in his mind. 'Of course _she_ is involved' _

_The girl loses patience and steps out of line, letting her arm drop down to her side. "It's my fault Felix." She looks right into his eyes and tilts her head to the side, waiting for his response. Felix scowls so severely that it turns into a snarl. "Of course the Darling Lost Pirate is to blame." The amount of hate put into dream Felix's words almost measure up to the true contempt that Felix feels when he sees the nightmare girl every time he closed his eyes. "We might as well add suicidal to your lengthy title. Darling Lost Suicidal Pirate?" Every night when Felix went to sleep, he would enter a nightmare where a girl ran aside them. The situations change each time, but Felix can count on seeing her annoyingly short and blonde haired head in all of them._

_"I thought my name was, GIRL!" She yells the word girl in a deep voice, causing the boys to break out snickering. Felix silences them with a glare and walks to face off against the girl. She smiles at him in a sweet manner that makes the trapped Felix sick and dream Felix return her smile maliciously._

_"Why are you here?" He says low enough for only her to hear. "You're no Lost _Boy_. In fact you only_ wish_ you were _lost_." Felix sees her fists clench at her side and he smirks, it was working. "No matter if you spend the rest of time here, you'll still be the odd man out."_

_What Felix wasn't expecting, was for the girl to decide a right hook to his face is a good way to stop him from continuing to talk. He looks up from the ground to see her standing over him, arms crossed and only slightly teary. "You're right." She says while regaining her composure. "I wish with all my heart that I was lost. To be able to stop running away. To forget who I am." She has captivated all of the boys' attention. "But I won't be able to. I will always remember who I am, it will never be who I was. Not as long as she is out there, waiting for me." The calmness of her voice makes Felix wary, 'What is she getting at?' Her eyes lock onto his as she continues. "So even if you remind me that I am the_ girl_ staying with the Lost Boys, Felix, I thank you for reminding me that Neverland is _safe_."_

_Felix scrambles off the ground and is about to lunge at her when a rather loud noise comes from the trees. All seven of them look towards the bushes to see Peter Pan emerge. He takes in the sight of the dripping boys, the soaked girl with rivulets of water still running off her, and the very tense Felix. Pan smirks "Are they fighting again?" He tsks at Felix and the girl and then gestures for the other Lost Boys to leave. When it's just the three of them, Pan walks up to be right next to them. He puts a hand on them both, pushing them farther apart. "Now, now." he says, "I need my right-hand and left-hand to get along.**"_

_The girl smiles, completely forgetting her recent state of distress. "I think that's impossible when the right hates the left."_

_Pan turns his full attention to the girl, causing Felix to internally bristle. "His hatred isn't usually earned unprompted. What torturous__ and __water based __act did you carry out to get him that mad?" Peter says, touching a waterlogged lock of hair, pulling it out of her eyes._

_The girl's eyes sparkle as she remembers what she was doing before Felix had showed up. "The cliff." She turns around and walks the three paces to the edge of the cliff, looking down at the water and rocks below. "We were seeing just how close someone can jump by the rocks without getting hurt." She turns around to face Peter and Felix, her back to sea._

_"What a sense of adventure you have, Darling." Felix speaks out, watching as her pallor whitens at the mention of her old nickname._

_"Felix." One word of warning, that's all Pan would give him. His blood boils. "Sounds like a fun game." Pan continues, his face lighting up with the dangerous possibilities the new game held. The girl lets out a surprised squeak and starts flail her arms about, falling backwards and over the ledge. 'Good riddance' Felix thinks, but his body moves without his consent, sprinting to try to save the girl. He reaches her, and she throws _him_ over the ledge. He falls, hearing her laughter ringing out as he hits the water's surface far from the rocks. Felix could've sworn there were two splashes, meaning that bitch had thrown Pan to his death also. He surfaces as fast as he can, surprised when he sees Pan wading in the water and laughing his head off. Felix hears a third splash and looks around to see waves forming where the girl herself had jumped into the water. Suddenly, water is over his head and he assumes the mermaids are dragging him down to the depths. The girl uses his head to push herself to the surface, swimming away from him as fast as she can once she breaks for air._

_All three of them are above water and Felix is glaring at the girl so intensely, that had it been anyone else, they would have burst into tears. "What was that for?" Pan asks as he swims around, hair in his eyes and smile on his face._

_"You two were dry, and I was jealous." She states as if it were the most logical reason._

_"Jealous?" Felix snarls and splashes her in frustration. "And what if you killed us?"_

_"But you're not dead." She splashes him back. "Everyone needs a break once in a while, and dancing has gotten boring."_

_"Boring?" Peter asks with a raise of an eyebrow. "I'll show you boring." With a laugh he leaps at the now squealing girl, pulling her under. Pan surfaces, but the girl is no where to be found. Pan looks at Felix and smiles fully, Felix realizing a second too late what was about to happen. He is pulled__ under again and breaches the ocean sputtering. Both Pan and the girl are laughing and soon Felix's body joins in with a small chuckle.'NO! STOP!' His conscious screams fruitlessly at his body. 'Don't laugh with the impostor! Don't smile at the girl. I hate her! Stop!'_

* * *

Felix jumps up, now fully awake. He needs to rest a moment before going after Baelfire, sleeping is taxing in Neverland. Felix sets off, tracking Baelfire with an ease. The man had only been concerned about getting away from him, not hiding his tracks. Felix smirks to himself as he thinks of all the ways to make Baelfire pay for knocking him out. The smirk is wiped from his face when he comes across two unconscious Lost Boys. The tracks disappear here, and Felix bends down to investigate, confirming what he suspected. A sleeping spell. Felix had no choice but to go to Pan now. And hope Pan is more focused on the Dark One than his own mistake.

* * *

*** This was dialogue in the episode, so even though I find it super awkward to say, I included it.**

****Left-hand man comes after right-hand man. This was me trying to cleverly allude to the fact that Samantha is third in command.**

**The reveal comes next chapter! I'm finishing it up right now and I like it a lot. There's no dream scenes in the next chapter which might be good for those who hate italics.**

**shyangel101: Thanks for reading, and you'll find out who she is next chapter. :)  
polly and her cracker: You squeal when you read this and I squeal when you say you like Hook/Samantha relationship! You're pretty awesome.  
**

_**Next Chapter: The Will to Escape**_


	6. Chapter 4: The Will to Escape

*****There's important information regarding the continuity of this story in the author's comments at the bottom. If you care enough, Read It!*****

**Okay I got my first critic. A Guest said: ****_I think they all should remember their dreams, with her in them. When does she come in in real life?_**** Well the reason that Rumple remembers is because he's a extremely powerful magical being. Felix remembers because he has been in Neverland for a really really long time. Hook misses out on the memories...for now! As for the second part, right now!**

* * *

On the edge of Storybrooke sits an old and omniscient house. Before the curse had been broken people would pass the house without a second thought, caught up in their own problems and continuing on with their own life. And life after the curse, well, even as people passed by the house they wouldn't notice the overgrown grass and boarded windows. They would walk past it, eyes clouded over due to the magic that shrouds the house from their view. Had anyone ever enter the house, the rundown interior would have them leaving very soon. Every room mirrored the previous. Wallpaper, peeled back and faded; dust layering the floor, windows, and the furniture. It was the stereotypical abandoned house, save for one thing. On every open surface was empty containers. Jars, bowls, bottles, and vials were strewn all about. They too, had a layer of grime, and if one got close enough they could see a liquid with a slight golden tint* swirling around at the bottom of the bottles. The fullest of the bottles is maybe a fourth filled, and the least amount being a small sip left to sit at the no one ever came inside to see the house. No one suspected the witch who lived there. And while that made her happy, she couldn't help but be bitter over the broken curse. It meant unnecessary banging and noises would sound throughout her attic. She would spend most days thinking of new ways that she would make the Dark One suffer when she got her chance, he was the one to blame for her headaches these days. Whenever she would feel a migraine coming, she would lift herself from her chair and roam over to one of the many bottles, sipping on the strange liquid.

Sam sits up in her bed, stretching her arms as she dispels sleep from her joints. Then she starts her nightly routine. As she's getting out of bed, screams of bloody murder rip through her throat. She makes her bed, keeping it nice and tidy as her voice cracks, signaling it's time for her to move on from screaming. She pounds on the door, clawing deeper into the gouges her nails have made in the solid oak door over time. She screeches again, starting to kick the little she has in her room about. She grabs the rope she has tied to her desk chair, righting it before her leg shoots out and knocks it to the floor again, making a satisfying thunk each time. She hears her mother's footsteps approaching and her heart stops for a second, this is the first time her mother has visited her since that first day she _remembered_. "Samantha." Even her voice sounds eviler than Sam recalls. "How have you been faring, my precious child?"

Sam slams her body against the door with all her might, hoping she has scared the witch. "Don't you **dare** call me that." She seethes. "I was never your daughter."

The witch laughs. "For twenty-eight years I was your favorite person, and now dear Samantha is too good for me. Don't make me laugh, you sniveling child." Her voice may be different from Sam's memories, but her words still manage to make Sam feel so small.

But then her mind registers what the witch had said, and she bangs her palm against the door, completely livid. "Sniveling? Is that what you want then? Do you want me to cry for you mother? Is that it? You're running low and need your next fix?!" Halfway through, Sam starts throwing her body against the door in rhythm to her words.

The witch speaks as soon as she falls silent."If you were never my daughter, why are you calling out for me? Am I not your mother Samantha?"

Sam hits her head with her palm, how could she had made such a stupid mistake."Don't. Don't call me Samantha."

"Oh, have you taken on another ridiculous alter ego? What is it this time Darling?" The witch hisses as soon as the last words leave her lips, realizing her slip.

Sam whispers to herself "Darling?" She has no clue as to what the witch is rambling on about now. She rams into the door again. "GO AWAY!" She reverts back to screaming at the top of her lungs until she hears her mother's retreating footsteps. Sam sits there on the floor, pulling on the rope absentmindedly to insure that her mother can't rest easy with all the noise being created. She looks down at her broken nails, contemplating whether to wash the blood out of them or not. She stares out the single window in her room, looking at the towns lights sparkling in the night. As Sam stares, a flash of red catches her eye briefly. She has been here too long and knows that the red was foreign. Sam stands up, approaching the window cautiously and jumping when she sees what it is. A shadow floats outside her window, its eyes glowing an eerie crimson. Sam doesn't understand what's going on, but the strange shadow might have answers. She pulls on the rope, bringing her desk chair to her. The girl hoists the chair up and throws it at the window, shattering the brittle glass. The witch most definitely heard the noise and moves with as much speed as she can to get to the girl. Sam knows that she has very little time and rushes to meet the shadow, recoiling as enchanted vines grow up at an alarming pace, blocking the girl's freedom. She rushes over to her bed, throwing the mattress aside to reach a hidden flask. Sam rips the cork out with her mouth and throws all of the glowing liquid at the vines. The vines start to steam and hiss as they wither away from the the window. The shadow holds out a hand and Sam reaches out and grabs it without hesitation. They race off into night, the girl holding the shadows hand and smiling down at the pretty town lights passing by them.

* * *

Mr. Gold watches the two boys collapse from his spell from his spot in the bushes. He goes to them and retrives a spear from their crumpled forms. From behind him he hears something stomping through the jungle, panting and scuffling about. When a person jumps out the bushes he pulls the spear back, ready to launch it at a Lost Boy. When Neal sees the spear he stops short, putting one hand out and doing a double take when he sees his father standing there with three marks down his right eye. "Bae?" Mr. Gold speaks softly. He shifts his grip on the spear, growing skeptical. "You're not real." He rationalizes. "You're dead."

"What? Course I'm real." His arms drop to his side in disbelief. Neal then starts shouting, "What the hell's going on?!"

Mr. Gold continues to point the spear at his son. "You're a vision, just like Belle."

Neal's hand raises again."No" His tone is almost pleading, "No way. Listen to me, I _was_ shot... Okay, but I survived." He starts patting himself as proof he's not an illusion. "See? I'm alive."

Just Neal stops patting at himself, Gold's face twists, "My son is dead." He hisses as he strides forward. He grabs Neal's neck and holds the spear up his neck threateningly. "You're just here to remind me of my failure."

Neal manages to choke out, "That's not why I'm here."

Mr. Gold tightens his hold on the spear. "My weakness."

"Put the spear down." It's getting harder for Neal to talk.

"You're here to question my resolve. But you won't succeed. I _will_ sacrifice my life for Henry." Gold continues with a renewed vigor, "And nothing will stand in my way."

Neal has been slowly losing oxygen and is only able to whisper out, "Thanks papa."

Gold's face crumples in recognition. He had just choked his son. "Bae that really you?" He asks, completely vulnerable.

"Yeah," When Gold hears that, he casts aside the spear and uses his now free hand to touch Neal's face.

"I thought I lost you forever." They stay like that for a couple seconds before Gold realizes they're still against a tree. He releases Neal and walks away from him, turning around to ask, "How is it possible that you're here?"

Neal grabs the discarded spear, "It's kinda a long story." He pauses, "Let's just say the debt Robin Hood owes you has been paid."

"You were back in our land?" Gold asks, half question-half statement.

"Yeah, but I made it here and the only thing that matters now is that I help Emma save Henry." Neal looks around, as if expecting her to pop out of the bushes. "Where is she?"

"I left her and the rest of them aboard Hook's ship." Gold explains, "As noble as their intentions may be, they don't have the stomach to do what needs to be done."

"Like what you did to these boys." Neal moves past Gold and circles around the unconscious Lost Boy. "They're not, uh..."

Neal trails off and Gold swivels to face him. "No they're just sleeping. For now."

"Let's leave it that way, ok?" Neal bends down and grabs the bow and arrows off the Lost Boy who still had a weapon.

"You don't have the stomach?*"

"I'll do what needs to be done. But killing Lost Boys," Neal looks his father in the eye. "We don't have to do that."

"We shall see." Is all Gold says.

"So I take you have a plan?" Neal says, changing the subject. "I thought sacrifice your life thing was just you being dramatic."

"It's the only definite way. Pan is too powerful. You can only beat him if you're willing to die. Which I am"

"You said 'definite way' this time. I knew it!" Neal looks at Gold accusingly. "I knew you had something else up your sleeve! Well tell me. What is it that can defeat Pan and save yourself."

Gold hesitates, then decides to just tell Neal. "It involves a girl from Storybrooke."

"Who is she?" Neal asks, wondering what his father could possibly be planning."

"That's why it's plan B." Gold starts. "I don't know who she is. She may not even be real."

Neal scoffs, "So your only alternative to sacrificing your life is to find a girl who isn't real, a world away? Well what if I told you I have another way?"

* * *

Mary Margaret's neck is starting to hurt from staring at the coconut lights for so long. It just looks like random dots of to her. "How can you be so sure it's a map?" She keeps her eyes on the lights as she asks Hook her question.

Hook stops looking at the ceiling, bringing his eyes down to face those who were entranced by the coded lights. "There was a short time in Neverland when Baelfire was aboard my ship." He spares a glance in Emma's direction. "I told him to navigate using the stars. What we're looking at is the fruits of my labor."

Regina looks towards Hook halfway through his explanation. "Then you can read it." She says expectantly.

"Sadly, No." Emma jerks her sight from the cave ceiling to the sympathetic Hook.

David interjects, his attention now turned to Hook also. "I thought you just said you taught him."

"Yes but I also taught Neal something else." Mary Margaret found it strange that Hook was using Neal's name, instead of calling him Baelfire. "The key to being a pirate, secrecy. Most captains conceal their maps in code." His tone is somber as he says information that will surely discourage the group. "He was an apt pupil."

"So you're saying the only person who can read this map is Neal." Mary Margaret finally tears her gaze away from the lights, but instead of looking at Hook, her attention focuses on Emma.

And when Emma speaks for the first time since looking up, Mary Margaret's heart breaks for her daughter. "Which means the only person who can read this, is dead." Emma turns and walks out of the cave waiting until she reaches the mouth to start running.

Mary Margaret and David follow hot on her heel. David calling out for her, "Emma wait!"

Emma keeps moving, not even turning completely around to shout out, "Now is not the time." Mary Margaret positions herself in front of Emma while she is talking to David, cornering her in and forcing her to talk to the both of them.

Mary Margaret tries desperately to comfort her daughter. "I can't even imagine the sadness you must be feeling," She begins, only to be cut off by Emma.

"I'm not sad I'm pissed. Yes Neal just died but I lost him years ago," Her voice breaks then, giving away her true emotion. "All that time thinking that he didn't love me, only to find out that he did and it was too late." She continues on, completely baring her soul to her parents. "I can't even tell him how angry that makes me, or how much it hurt when he left, or how terrified I was when he came back. I knew the moment I saw him I never- " Emma fumbles over her words, not quite willing to say them. "I never stopped loving him." With her confession out in the open, she rushes off, pushing past David with tears in her eyes.

David gets closer to his wife, sensing the anguish she's experiencing. "She'll be okay."

Mary Margaret isn't comforted by David's words and asks "Really?"

David starts to say, "We've done everything we can-" When suddenly he is cut off by a loud shrieking ringing through the jungle. Mary Margaret and David get close together, and the tree canopies above them rustle in a strange way. The Lost Boys in tree tops? They worry over what's going to happen when suddenly a girl drops from a tree, legs and arms flailing around as she screams. The falling girl lands on her butt, groaning and doubling over as she gets up.

David draws his sword and Mary Margaret knocks her bow, both aiming at the unexpected impostor. The girl hears the noise they make readying themselves and looks up, jumping back a step when she sees the couple pointing rather deadly objects towards her. "Who are you?" David calls, taking charge of the situation. "How did you get here?"

The girl's hands go up in surrender. "I mean no harm, honest. I'm Sam. And to why I'm here. Well, there was this shadow, and it kind of… just dropped me." She takes in the sight of the sword and the bow, her eyes lighting up. "Oh, am I back in the Enchanted Forest?" Regina and Hook run out the the cave, investigating the strange screams that the girl had made while falling. They are shocked at the scene they find, a teenager being held at sword-point by Prince Charming and Snow White.

"What on Earth is happening?" Regina exclaims, causing the girl to turn her head and look at the newcomers, surprise very present on her face.

Mary Margaret keeps the bow facing the girl, but she already knows that this girl has nothing to do with Neverland. She's standing there in pajama pants and doesn't have shoes on, she definitely wasn't expecting to end up here. While Mary Margaret is ready to trust the stranger, David still has his suspicions. "The Enchanted Forest? Who are you then?"

Her attention back to the couple, she answers straightforward. "I told you I'm Sam. My mother called me Samantha, but I don't want her to have control over any part of me, much less my name."

"Who were you in the Enchanted Forest, _Sam_?" Regina spits, getting ready to take out the girl if she poses a threat.

Sam cocks her head to the side, deciding whether to look at Regina and Hook, or David and Mary Margaret. She chooses to address the people openly threatening her with weapons. She grabs at her necklace, clutching it to reassure herself. "In the Enchanted Forest," Sam stares down David and Mary Margaret before continuing, "I was called Rapunzel."

* * *

*** If you started reading this before this chapter was posted I edited Hook's chapter. The vial Sam gave Hook was tinted gold also. I just forgot to include it the first time around.**

**Well here you go! Sam is Rapunzel. While I tried to draw her story line and powers (which could be revealed later), I also drew from Tangled, because let's face it, Rapunzel's personality in that movie was adorable.**

**All of you who guessed was 100% right, which means I'm either good at foreshadowing or bad a not being glaringly obvious. If you guys want the story to continue let me know, because now that Punz is out there the story can really progress. ***********Two comments saying you want me to continue is all it takes. :)*****

**polly and her cracker: This is the chapter you've been waiting for, I hope it measures up!**

**ElektraMackenzie: That reaction to Felix was unexpected, but amazing all the same =P**

**Expect the next chapter on the eighth!**


	7. Chapter 5: Good Form

**Uh, wow. I lied...**

**It's the 1st, a whole week before I said I'd update. I would wait, but I feel like Sam's _finally_ in Neverland after 6 chapters and she needs to interact with everyone more. Oh and Happy New Years!**

**_Last Time on Fighting Destiny:_**** She grabs at her necklace, clutching it to reassure herself. "In the Enchanted Forest," Sam stares down David and Mary Margaret before continuing, "I was called Rapunzel."**

* * *

_Rapunzel paced around her spartan room, checking to make sure everything is ready. She could barely contain her excitement, she was finally doing it! Finally leaving the tower! She had so much nervous energy that she almost tripped on her own hair while she paced around. He would be here in half an hour to sweep her away from all of her problems. It was exactly like the stories she read about. Rapunzel couldn't wait any longer, she walked over to the wall and pulled a loose brick away, revealing the previously hidden cache. She reached in and pulled out a bundle of of different shades of of silk. She checked the silken bridge for any chinks in her escape route. The bridge was weaved from patches a silk that had been presented to her over a course of one year; something that she had slaved over in the dark of night, hiding it from Ms. Gothel's prying eyes. She sat on the floor, letting the bridge pool in her lap as she waited, nerves racking her brain. It was then that Ms. Gothel burst through the door of her room, severely short of breath. Rapunzel jumped up and backed up against the wall in attempt to hide the hole in the bricked wall. Gothel gave no explanation as to how she was able to enter the tower without Rapunzel's hair, and the thought never occupied Rapunzel's mind; her adrenaline sped her heart up to a point where she thought it would burst. Gothel stalked up to Rapunzel and grabbed her hair harshly. She yanked Rapunzel forward, and her eyes darted between the hole and the silk that Rapunzel clutched behind her back. Gothel snarled at Rapunzel as she tugged viciously at Rapunzel's hair, and the action brought their faces inches apart. "Rapunzel," she hissed. "Are you going somewhere?" Rapunzel tried to shake her head in denial, but Ms. Gothel's grip on her hair was too strong. "You insolent brat!" She cried as she pushed Rapunzel down to the floor. "To think I've cared for you in place of your thieving parents! I've kept you safe all this time and you repay me by trying to run away." She loomed over Rapunzel, eyes set ablaze with anger. "What, I pray tell, were you planning to do? To build a bridge out of scraps? You planned to run away with some man who claims to be prince of this land?" Rapunzel's eyes filled with tears and Gothel's face twisted into a malicious smile. "You trust that he is this prince. You trust him not to lie to you. Ha." Gothel let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "He has coaxed you down from your nest to save his _true_ beloved. He has used you." The tears fell freely down Rapunzel's face as she doubted herself. She believed in Gothel for a total of ten seconds, before she pushed all suspicions of her prince aside. As the tears streaked down her face, Gothel pulled her up and started to drag her away from the window. Ms. Gothel dragged the dazed girl down the flight of stairs and into a basement, Rapunzel barely recognized._

_It was when she saw a tunnel that leads far beyond the constructs of her tower that she snapped out of her stupor. "Where are we going?" Gothel didn't answer and Rapunzel grew desperate. " WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME!?" She screamed the loudest Gothel had ever heard her._

_"We're a going to a place without magic, a place where you won't so blatantly betray me." She paused a second and continued. "A place where we can be a real family."_

* * *

Regina hand lifts the girl who claims to be Rapunzel in the air, choking her magically. Mary Margaret drops her bow and rushes forward towards the floating girl.

"Regina!" She exclaims, "You're hurting her." Mary Margaret continually switches her attention from Regina to her victim, whose hands are clawing at her own throat in attempt to breath again.

"Pan's trying to trick us." Regina says, moving to stand in closer proximity with Rapunzel. "We all heard her say it was the shadow who brought her here." David and Hook both eye the girl suspiciously, seeing the point Regina makes.

Mary Margaret wasn't going to let the girl die. "Release her and we'll talk about what to do." Regina scoffs at Mary Margaret's suggestion. "Why would Pan drop a girl that no one knows? It doesn't make sense."

Regina scowls, but let's Rapunzel go. She collapses on the forest floor and starts inhaling air as fast as she can. Regina glares at the girl. "It's exactly because nobody knows her! Who's going expect the weak, barefoot girl of anything?"

Hook adds to Regina's argument. "Pan doesn't like to make sense, love. It just makes his game all the more fun." The girl catches her breath and scrambles to hide behind Mary Margaret, her head poking out slightly.

Mary Margaret takes pity on the girl who has become mute out of fear. "We all know the story of Rapunzel, she doesn't get out much." Rapunzel shakes her head in agreement with Mary Margaret.

"And what does that have to do with anything?" Regina asks, slipping into a defensive position with her hands on her hips.

"She's clearly terrified." Mary Margaret states, "She couldn't be a threat. Like you said, she was brought here without shoes, it obviously wasn't a planned trip." It's then that Emma makes her way back to the group, trying desperately to hide the red in her eyes. She finds David and Hook with their swords drawn, Regina stewing with her hands placed at her hips, and finally she spots Mary Margaret standing under everyone's scrutiny, shielding a tuft of golden hair.

The men spare her a glance when she approaches, but the two women stay locked in a staring contest. "What happened?" She says, drawing the women's attention. "Who was screaming?"

"Emma!" Rapunzel emerges for a second upon seeing Henry's mother, only to retreat again at everyone's eyes resting upon her.

Even Mary Margaret turns towards her, forcing Rapunzel out in the open. "How do you know her?"

Rapunzel starts to back away from Mary Margaret, sensing a new hostility from her previous savior. "I-I-I met her and Henry in town onc-once. Granted I mostly talked t-to Hen-He-Henry, but we still ta-talked." Rapunzel chides herself internally, she hadn't stuttered so bad since the curse had lifted. She refused to go back to the person the curse had made her so she made an effort to clear her voice. "It was once, her forgetting is normal, right?"

Emma stares at the fidgety girl, and it's when Rapunzel starts shifting on the balls of her feet that it dawns on Emma. She_ has_ seen this girl before, "Samantha?

Everyone turned to Emma, "You know her?" David asks.

Rapunzel smiles at Emma, "Actually, I go by Sam now." She tilts her head as her brain comprehends everything they have been discussing. Her mind tries to wrap everything that had been talked about. "Uh, Pan?"

Hook let's outs a small chuckle, "Welcome to Neverland, love."

* * *

David lights a torch, illuminating the dark cave with flickering shadows dancing around. Sam scoots closer to Mary Margaret, her mind still reeling from all they had told her. Neverland, Henry,and a evil Peter Pan all swirled around her mind as she tries to grasp the seriousness of the predicament. She watches Emma reach down to pull a tarp from what she assumes is a bed.

"You need a hand, love?" Hook asks reaching towards Emma.

Emma looks at him like he's a moron. "Is that a joke?"

"No," Hook brings his hand down to grab at the tarp Emma had been tugging at. "I'm being quite serious." They pull the tarp away, revealing rows upon rows of tally marks scored against the wall in white chalk. Sam ventures away from Mary Margaret, completely captivated by the marks.

She's not the only one. Emma leans in to the rock and whispers, "Wow."

David can see the tallies, but doesn't get their meaning. "What is it?"

"It appears Neal marked his days trapped on this island." Hook says while looking towards Emma.

Emma jumps up onto the rock ledge and Sam shuffles forward, touching the ledge that holds the tally marks. Mary Margaret watches the the two and asks, "What's wrong?"

"Look here," Emma points at two tallies. "Neal stopped counting." Sam nods in agreement.

"Cause he got off the island." Mary Margaret walks closer to Sam and Emma.

Sam shakes her head no and Emma says, "He was here longer."

David asks "Then why would he-"

Sam speaks for the first time since entering the cave, causing Regina to jump. "No hope." Sam looks down at her shoes and then at Mary Margaret.

Emma looks at Sam, confused as to how she knew what happened to Neal. But her attention is drawn back to the tallies. "She's right, it's because he lost hope."

"You got that from some scribbles?" Regina steps forwards, glaring at the nervous girl.

Sam unconsciously moves to stand behind Mary Margaret as Emma jumps off the rock ledge. "I got that because it's what I did every time I went to a new foster home." Emma leans back on the ledge and stares down Regina. "Counting days until it kinda seemed pointless."

Regina scoffs, "And how did _Sam_ know that? Weren't you supposed to be happy to stay in your tower?"

"In the Enchanted Forest, maybe. But in Storybrooke, when I found out what she had done, I counted every _second_ I had to be there." Sam's eyes dart, looking everywhere but Regina.

Mary Margaret puts a reassuring hand on Sam's shoulder. "It's okay, you got away."

"I almost did it. I almost lost my hope." Sam eyes glue to the floor.

David crosses his arms, only to uncross them a again. "And you think the same thing's happening to Henry?"

"Pan said it would." Emma stares down David.

David moves forward and tries to comfort his daughter. "Hey, we're gonna rescue him."

"Yeah I know that and you know that, but Henry doesn't know that." Emma starts to get worked up and raises her voice. "Pan wants him to lose his faith." Sam lowers her head, letting her hair curtain her face. She grabs onto Mary Margaret's sleeve softly, scaring herself with thoughts of Pan torturing Henry until he doesn't believe in his family.

Regina interrupts Sam's dark thoughts. "So wait, you want to send him a message?" Regina looks at the Charmings indecorously, sparing an extra glare in the new girl's direction. "Because I haven't seen a Neverland post office. What're you suggesting?"

Emma gets an excited look on her face. "We take a page from Pan and we'll start being clever. We need to send a simple sign." Sam sees the look that Hook gives Emma; a look questioning Emma's sanity. "A sign that we're coming."

Regina throws her arms up in the air. "With Lost Boys running around trying to kill us all?!"

It dawns on Mary Margaret what to do. "Maybe it's time we use that to our advantage." She paces around, plotting out what to do in her head.

"Um, how?" Sam asks, looking to Mary Margaret for answers.

"Follow me." Mary Margaret starts to walk out the cave. "I'll show you." She leaves the cave, Sam hot on her heels. Hook and Emma stay behind and Sam watches over her shoulder as they start to talk. The walk back to the campsite is silent, everyone watching skeptically as Mary Margaret starts grabbing vines and dragging them along. By the time they get back to camp, each person has an armful of vines cradled on them. Mary Margaret instructs them to start weaving, braiding and tying the vines.

When the shape of the vines becomes apparent in their weaving Regina speaks up, "A trap?" She's sitting away from the other three females, who are currently sitting on a fallen tree, so her voice carries to the two men standing up. "That's your plan."

"The Lost Boys want to come after us," Mary Margaret accentuates her point with a sharp tug on a vine. "We need to go after them" Sam sits next to Mary Margaret, her hand braiding and pulling at the vines in a very professional manner.

Hook pushes off a tree he was lounging against and starts pacing, eyeing the girl who's expertly weaving with disbelief. "Why do you think the Lost Boys are going betray Pan?" His attention zeroes in on Emma, who's not having as nearly as much success in weaving then the adolescent.

Mary Margaret doesn't address Hook's last statement as a question. "Thanks for the advice." Sam smiles at her hands when Mary margaret brushes Hook off. "David?" Mary Margaret calls out, looking up from the vine in her lap.

David turns his attention from the fire to his wife. "Yeah?"

Her eyes lock with his and Sam glances at them. It's her first time seeing true love and it fills her with awe. "We need more vine." Mary Margaret says while looking at their dwindling supplies.

"On it." David contemplates for a moment before continuing. "You're coming with me, pirate."

David starts to walk into the jungle until Hook asks, "Why's that?" David stops and turns around, looking back at Hook.

But it's Emma that gives Hook a reason. "Because we need more rope."

Hook gives her a fake bow, "If the lady insists." He follows David into the woods.

Sam reaches up and grabs at her necklace, giving herself a little more confidence before speaking. "Um, Emma?"

"Yeah, Samantha?"

"It's Sam." She lets go of the vial and starts fiddling with the net again. "Thanks for letting me help you guys. Henry was my first friend, I'll do anything I can to help save him."

Emma stops braiding for a moment and looks over Mary Margaret to the girl. Her eyes rest on the girl's feet, "Sam? Where are your shoes?"

Sam let's her purple striped pant legs fall over her feet. She let's out a nervous chuckle. "I was in a hurry to leave and I forgot them in the rush, I guess."

Regina rolls her eyes. "Right. You just hopped out of bed and went on an adventure."

Sam nods, not picking up Regina's sarcasm. "Yep. I didn't even have time to grab a hair binder for the nest on my head." She gestures to the tangled heap of blonde waves that fall down to her waist.

Mary Margaret picks out a bit of vine and holds it out to Sam. "It's not much, but here."

Sam reaches out and takes it, smile spread across her face. "Thanks," She puts it in her mouth and starts gathering up her hair towards the left side of her face. "This will work." They continue weaving as Sam pulls her hair into complicated side braid.

* * *

Everyone is in position. After David and Hook had gone off to search for the sexton, the girls had also ventured into the jungle, laying a trap for an unexpecting Lost Boy. Emma is crouched down behind a tree. Mary Margaret is standing farther away than Emma, her bow drawn and pointed at a boar drinking from the stream. Regina stands near a tree, prepared to use magic with her raised palm. They stand in a triangle around the boar, prepared and waiting. Sam watches from a vantage point in a tree. The women had made her go into the tree, saying something along the lines of 'Pan might not know about you yet.' She's stuck in some tree, away from all the action. The people who had taken her in are becoming strange to her. David was calling Emma his daughter, and Sam has no idea what that meant. She decides to ask Emma about it back at camp when she spots the Lost Boy. He stalks up to the hog, spear in hand and ready to strike, when Mary Margaret releases her arrow. The arrow cuts through the rope, letting the net fall onto the Lost Boy and trapping him. The three women rush to surround him, while Sam stays hidden in the tree.

The boy thrashes around and eventually gets the net off. He finds himself facing off against a sword, a bow, and magic. The boy scowls, "What're you doing?!" He snarls. "Are you _trying_ to start a war with Pan!?"

Emma brings the sword closer to the Lost Boy, "Pan started the war when he kidnapped my son."

"But doesn't make_ you_ the enemy." Regina takes the sweet approach, materializing a chocolate bar in her hand. Sam shudders at the syrupy tone Regina's voice now holds.

The Lost Boy picks himself off the ground and looks at Regina's open palm. "What's that?"

"Chocolate." Regina talks like she's addressing a four year old. "I thought you might like the taste if something sweet."

Emma steps in. "We don't want to hurt you, we just need you to deliver a message to Henry."

The Lost Boy turns his attention to Emma, or more accurately, Emma's sword. "Why should I help you."

Emma tries to level with the Lost Boy. "Because you had a home and a family once and you stopped believing you could get back to them. Now we're here we can help, not just Henry, all of you." Sam moves in the branches, trying to get closer to the conversation. She can't stop this feeling in her gut that Emma is completely wrong. "We can get you home" Regina holds out the chocolate farther and the Lost Boy takes it. He holds to his face smelling it, and Regina chuckles at his ignorance.

The boy turns around and launches the candy into the woods, throwing it as far his arm allows. "Don't you get it I'm here because I don't Want to go home. None of us do."

"Pan's a monster." Emma tries again to morally connect with the boy. "Look what he did to you." She uses her sword to point at the gash in the Lost Boy's face.

The Lost Boy smirks, his knuckle brushing against the cut. "Oh, Pan didn't do that," The smirk unsettled Sam, she really wanted to help Mary Margaret and Emma. "Henry did."

It's too much for Sam to handle, she jumps down from the tree, landing more gracefully than she thought possible. Sam walks right up to the boy and before he can even register what's happening, she punches him in the temple, knocking him unconscious. The women jump, shocked at what the meek Rapunzel just did. She looks down at Lost Boy. "Henry's not like you."

"Sam!" Mary Margaret calls out, causing the girl to swing around and face her. "What did you do?"

Sam looks at the boy and then back at Mary Margaret. "I-I just wanted him to stop talking." She tries to hold in a sniffle, but fails. "I'm sorry."

Emma puts a hand on her shoulder. "It's fine. I wanted to do that too, but I guess you beat me to it." Emma lets go of Sam and goes to the Lost Boy, leaning over him. "Help me tie him up then." They push him against a tree, wrapping the homemade rope around him until he is completely restricted. Emma gets in his face and starts shaking him by the collar, trying to wake him up. She shouts "Wake Up!" right into his ear, making him stir.

The boy opens his eyes to see only Emma. He smiles evily and says, "It's too late. Henry is a Lost Boy now. You're boy is one of the most vicious new recruits we have had in ages."

Mary Margaret pulls her daughter away from the Lost Boy and whispers to her, "Don't let him get to you, okay?"

When Emma stepped back, the Lost Boy saw Sam clearly for the first time and he went crazy. The boy started thrashing against the bindings all the while growling at Sam, "No! You can't be in Neverland. No new girls! No. Go to Hell you bitch!" What started out as cryptic messages turns into indecent cussing, so Emma draws her sword and hold it to his throat, silencing him.

He continues to glare in Sam's direction so she returns his glare, baring teeth when he bares his teeth, and hissing when he hisses. Regina has had enough and tries to get to the front of the group. "Move aside." she commands.

Mary Margaret is reluctant to let Regina through. "Why?"

"So I can rip his heart out. Then he'll do exactly what we want." Regina pushes past Mary Margaret and gives the Lost Boy a smile that had helped her earn the title **Evil** Queen.

Sam doesn't understand why Mary Margaret is suddenly upset. "This is _not_ how we do things." She frantically turns to her daughter. "Emma, we can find another way to get to Henry."

"Really?" Regina asks Mary Margaret. "What do you think Emma?" Sam starts inching close to the Lost Boy, smirking at his increasing discomfort. Soon she's standing next to him, looking him in the eye.

Sam turns when she hears Emma say to Regina, "I think we need to talk to our son."

"No we can't do this." Is how Mary Margaret replies.

"Do it Regina." Sam watches as Regina starts approaching both her and the Lost Boy, shivering at the expression on Regina's face. Emma turns to Mary Margaret and wraps her in a hug saying, "I'm sorry."

Sam wonders what is wrong with Mary Margaret, but doesn't feel close enough with them to ask. So she stays next to the boy, confused as to why he looks terrified. Regina's hand goes into the Lost Boy's chest with a 'crunch' and white noise rushes into Sam's ears. she watches, detached, as Regina holds a ruby heart in her hand. There's screaming coming from somewhere, but Sam can't tell where. Mary Margaret appears in front of her, grabbing at Sam's shoulders and talking without sound. Sam falls down into a sitting position, putting her hands over her ears. That's when Sam realizes that she's the one who is screaming.

Her hearing returns to in time to listen to Mary Margaret yell at Emma. "This is what happens when you're _willing_ to let Regina do whatever it takes!"

"I'm sorry!" Emma shouts back. "But how was I supposed to know that Sam would do this!"

Regina stands to the side, still holding the heart. "It was no_ secret_ that I was going to take out his heart. She shouldn't had watched if she's so squeamish."

"She's lived in a tower all her life! How on earth was she supposed to know what you were about to do?!" Mary Margaret points at Sam as she fights with Regina. She turns to Emma. "The cost of getting Henry back _can't_ be this family!"

"I'm fine."

"What do yo-" Mary Margaret stops as she realizes that it was Sam who talked. The three women watch as the girl gets to her feet and takes one shaky step towards them before faltering. "Sam." Mary Margaret catches the girl and steadies her. "Do you want to sit down?"

She shakes her head no animatedly; a mannerism that they are starting to associate with her. "I'll be fine. Let's get Henry that message."

Regina smiles at Sam, finaly starting to trust the girl. "Oh we're gonna do more than that." She takes out a double compact mirror and breaks it at the hinges, splitting it in half. "We're gonna see him."

* * *

Henry is holding the mirror that Devin had just put in his hands. He looks in shock at his family looking back at him. "Henry are you okay?" Regina asks him worriedly.

Emma chimes in, speaking louder that she need to. "Henry can you hear me?"

Henry's hands shake slightly as he says, "Mom."

Mary Margaret pushes her face closer to the mirror, trying to get around Emma. "I'm here too Henry, and so is-" she pauses, trying to pull another person into the mirror's domain.

Henry can hear shuffling and a soft "No, Emma didn't remember why should he? I don-" Suddenly a new face is staring at Henry and for a moment he forgets to breathe. It's Samantha.

'But Samantha wouldn't be here.' This thought convinces him that the mirror is Pan's twisted sense of humor. "This is a trick."

"No this isn't a trick. Henry I promise you this is real." Emma uses information that only the two of them know. "Kid it's operation cobra rescue. It's us"

"You're here." He states. 'You're here. Samantha's here'

"Yes. We're coming to get you." They all break out into smiles, causing Henry to smile back.

He hears rustling in the bushes and starts to panic. "There's someone coming." He watches as Pan emerges, looking less than pleased. "It's Pan, I gotta go." They all break out in complaints, but he stops them. "I gotta go."

Regina get's out one last, "We love you." before he flings the mirror aside causing it to shatter. Henry takes a second to try to stop smiling before walking over to the fire.

* * *

Mary Margaret raises the flask above her head. "To Hook." She takes a swig in honor of the man who just saved her husband's life.

She tries to pass it to Regina, but the Evil Queen rebuffs the alcohol. "I don't do rum." She turns away and walks toward the fire.

Mary Margaret goes to pass it to Emma but finds Sam reaching for the flask. She raises it above Sam's reach, laughing when Sam makes a grab at it, and hands it to Emma. "Nope." Emma scolds Sam teasingly. "Not legal yet." Sam pouts, crossing her arms and scrunching her nose up. She follows the couple to the fire but turns her head back when she hears Emma's toast "To Hook." Sam's eyes widen when she sees Emma and Hook kissing. Her hand slaps over her mouth to stop from squealing. She watches Emma go off one direction and Hook in another. But then she spots Hook drop the flask. Sam goes and picks it up, deciding to follow Hook. She catches up to him, finding Hook sitting on a tree cursing about losing his rum.

"Here." He looks up to see the girl holding the flask out to him with both of her hands.

He grabs it and takes a swig. He wipes his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "You didn't drink any?"

She shakes her head no and sits down next to Hook. "I think you need it more."

Hook smiles at her hands it over. "Well I'm a pirate, love. I've handled worse."

She takes it and pours some rum down her throat and immediately spits it out spluttering and choking. Hook laughs at her reaction, and she joins in good heartedly. She gives the leather flask back to Hook. "I honestly don't see why pirates love this stuff." She says with a wrinkle of her nose.

"We mainly stay for the effect, love." They smile and she fiddles with her necklace out of habit. The action brought Hook's attention to the vial strung around her neck. His smile falters. He reaches out for it. "That's mine."

She slaps at his hand, snapping him out his stupor. Sam clutches at the vial, encasing it in her hand protectively. "I made it myself. So there's no way you've ever even seen it."

Hook takes a long drink from his flask. "Yes, yes. Sorry about that lo-" He stops short, not wanting to call her the usual love.

"You know," She starts, ignoring his unfinished sentence. "I hadn't seen true love before I came to Neverland."

"Yes, well the Charmings are rather, charming." Hook smirks and the girl laughs at his pun.

"What about you and Emma?" She asks, tilting her head and giving a small smile.

Hook let's out almost bitter laugh. "We aren't in any form of love, darling. Much less true love." He doesn't know what possessed him to use darling as her nickname, but he likes the way it sounds. "She is very much in love with Neal."

Sam's face looks like she had another taste of his rum. "Darling? That's stupid." He laughs at her sour expression. "And as for Neal, is he here? I mean I haven't seen Emma and Neal, but I've seen Emma and Hook." She shrugs her shoulders.

"Neal was Henry's father." Hook waits for her reaction.

"Oh. Uh. That's rather complicated, huh?" Sam doesn't know what to do so she stands up, brushing away imaginary dust. "I'll leave you to it."

"Farewell darling." He calls out as she leaves, causing her to turn and stick her tongue out him. Hook is left alone for an hour, and he spends it thinking about Emma. He also keeps landing back to the to the strange necklace that Sam has.

A throat is cleared and Hook looks towards it, expecting the girl to be back. Instead it's Pan, slouching against a tree. When he catches Hook's attention he pushes off the tree. "You really should have taken my deal."

Hook smirks. "Well it doesn't look like I need your help with Emma after all, mate."

Pan's eyebrow raises as he walks closer to Hook. "What you think kiss actually meant something?"

"I do I think that she's finally starting to see me for the man I am." Hook knows he's playing into Pan's hand, but he truthfully talks about Emma.

Pan's smirk is large enough to wipe Hook's off his face. "What?" He says. "The one handed pirate with a drinking problem? I'm no grown up, but I'm pretty sure that's less than appealing."

"I'm a man of honor." Hook says, starting to get angry at Pan's prodding.

"So tell me," Pan crouches down and looks up at Hook. "What would a man honor like yourself, do with a big fat secret?"

"We'll that depends what the secret is."

"**Baelfire**." Hook's head snaps towards Pan, now watching him stand up. "Neal," Pan gives a pause, "Whatever name he goes by these days." Pan starts to back away from Hook. "The guy Emma loves. Henry's father."

Hook is sitting straight, attention solely focused on the teenager in front of him. "What of him. He's dead."

"No, I'm afraid not. He's alive. That's not even the best part," Pan turns around, his back facing Hook. "He's in_ Neverland_." Pan flourishes his arms and turns a quarter, facing Hook sideways.

"He's here." Hook says disbelievingly.

"Oh yes can you believe it. I'm sure Emma would love to know that Henry's father's still alive, but I hate for that to get in the way of budding romance. So I'll leave it up to you, to tell around," Pan walks into the foliage, disappearing from Hook's view, only to pop his head back around. "Let's see what kind of man you really are." With a scoff, Pan turns away from Hook. Pan's chin hits something and he hears a "omphf"as _someone_ collides with him.

Sam bounces off the boy, falling back onto the ground. Her nose hurts after hitting… was it a chin? She reaches up and touches her nose; pulling away and seeing red on her fingertips. She hears a rather sardonic voice. "Well that's new."

"No. It's just a little blood." She replies without thinking. She looks away from her fingers and up at… no one. There was no one there.

* * *

**What do you think of Sam instead of Samantha? I wanted something to show Rapunzel's defiance to Gothel, but the cutting of the hair isn't as symbolic as in Disney's Tangled. The reason that Gothel is Ms. Gothel in the flashback is because it's how it was in the Grimm story, Rapunzel knew that Gothel wasn't her mother. I don't know if I'll put her flashbacks in the beginning or in the middle like how OUAT does it. Ideas?**

**justwonderingwhoiam:**** Posting the update dates would work well if I didn't get all excited and totally disregard them. And congrats on being the first to guess it was Rapunzel. :)  
ElektraMackenzie: Regina was just being Regina, this chapter and last. But thanks for loving Sam **

**KreativeGirl: It's good that you can't wait! Please stay intrigued.**

**polly and her cracker: I think that Rumple wouldn't be nearly as interesting if he didn't always have some dodgy dealing rearing it's ugly head... Glad you liked last chapter, Enjoy :)**


	8. Chapter 6: Ariel I

**Okay well it's been 11 days since the last update, which is too damn high! But sorry guys, the problem was that I hadn't seen the last four episodes and I didn't know when to put stuff where. Well guess what? Still haven't gotten to the last three, but I'm going to soon. In fact when I started this story I had only watched up to 'Quite a Common Fairy'. Still, I feel like I've done a good job changing it so there's no relation between Henry and Pan. **

**Guest: Yeah...uhm. They ****did**** just meet. Well I guess technical Peter met Sam and Sam just ran into him... but yeah, Pan knows Sam's running around with the gang.**

**_Last Time on Fighting Destiny:_****She hears a rather sardonic voice. "Well that's new."**

**"No. It's just a little blood." She replies without thinking. She looks away from her fingers and up at… no one. There was no one there.**

* * *

At the camp Emma stares down at a unlit fireplace, arms crossed and brow set. Regina is crouched down next to her. "Focus." She stands up, pushing her arms of her calves. "Concentrate."

Emma rolls her eyes at Regina. "It's kinda hard when you're talking in my ear."

"And when the wind blows, or it's raining, or someone's shooting arrows at you?" David and Mary Margaret watch the two women bicker from a comfy position on a rock. "Yes, concentration hard. That's the point! Find your anger and use it to focus." She circles around Emma.

"No." Emma says, "There has to be a way without going dark." She turns her back to the fire, facing off against Regina.

Regina let's out an exasperated noise. "You're such a pathetic waste of ability!" She shouts, throwing her arms up.

"And you're a monster!" Emma accuses Regina.

Regina crosses her arms and sniffs at the air. "Smell that?"

"What?!" Emma cries.

Mary Margaret's head moves off David's shoulder, looking at the fireplace. Regina looks at Emma. "Smoke." With that Regina walks away from Emma. Emma turns around to see a small fire dancing in the pit.

David sighs against Mary Margaret. "This is a bad idea," He tells his wife.

"She has it in her. She should learn to use it." Mary Margaret consoles her husband. "We just have to trust her."

David frowns, "Yeah, it's not Emma I don't trust."

"Well Regina doesn't trust people in our group either." Mary Margaret smiles, thinking about the petite blonde.

David let's out a small chuckle. "Don't tell me you miss your little sidekick?"

"She's something else." Mary Margaret laces her fingers with David's. "She's taken to following around our one-handed companion."

Hook emerges from the jungle, dragging a dazed Sam along behind him. He pulls her up to the Charmings. "We need to talk." He says, tapping on David's shoulder. Sam maneuvers under the arm Hook has on David, prying herself from Hook's grasp and plopping down at Mary Margaret's feet.

Sam holds her hand over her nose, and Mary Margaret silently exclaims when Sam brings down her hand, revealing red spots on her pink sweater. "Sam! Are you okay?" She grabs the girl's chin, tilting it side to side to further inspect the blood trailing from her nostril to her lip.

"Oh, you mean the nose?" Hook asks angrily. "Yeah. Pan gave her that."

"What?"

"What?"

"What?"

Everyone looks at Sam, wondering as to why she inquired about it if she was there. "I ran into_ Peter Pan_?" She has an extremely confused look on her face.

"Yes, and apparently he attacked you." Mary Margaret exclaims tightening her hold on Sam's chin.

Sam knocks her head to the side. "Buh 'is tu-" She squirms out Mary Margaret's concerned grip. "But his teeth weren't pointy."

"You didn't actually see him." Hook corrects her. "Or his teeth."

Sam responds with, "Yeah but he didn't _sound_ like someone who has pointy teeth."

"It doesn't change the fact that Pan now knows she here." David interjects. "I mean, he gave her a bloody nose. He wasn't very happy to see Sam." David gestures to Sam's face and she rubs her sleeve under nose, trying to get rid of any remaining blood.

"That's not exactly what happened." Hook looks at David and Mary Margaret. "Pan paid me a visit before he bumped into the girl." He scratches the back of his head. "He uh… he told me that Neal is alive." Both Mary Margaret's and Sam's hands fly to their mouths. "That he's on this very island."

Mary Margaret shakes her head. "Emma saw him. He was shot. He fell through a portal. No one can survive that."

"Well he did and now he's here." Sam hung on Hook's every word. "That he came across this very camp while we were away."

Mary Margaret grows skeptical. "According to Pan. _If_ he's telling the truth."

David is also skeptical of the new information Hook provides. "Why would he tell you?" He asks crossing his arms and looking towards Hook. "What does he hope to gain?"

"Who knows why he does anything." Hook shrugs his shoulders and stares at Sam like he is trying to figure something out. "He has his reasons."

"He's telling the truth." Mary Margaret stands up by pushing off of David and avoiding Sam's feet. She moves past Hook and touches a light green stalk that has been broken. "Tracks, and a scuffle." The other three have moved behind her, watching her track. She points along to the indicators of a presence in camp as she talks. "Someone was here while we were gone." Mary Margaret grows excited. "We have to tell her."

She turns around and runs into David, who outstretches his arm and stops her from going to Emma. "Nononono, she already lost Neal once." He looks over his shoulder at Emma for a second before returning his gaze to his wife. "And if this is a game, we can't put her through losing him again."

"He's right." Hook says, drawing looks of disbelief from both Sam and Mary Margaret. "Telling her either way is what Pan wants. That's why we shouldn't do it." He says with a conviction, trying to convince Mary Margaret and possibly Sam, who has remained surprising neutral.

"You want to find him without letting her know?" Mary Margaret asks.

Hook nods, thinking that Mary Margaret is considering David and his' point of view. "Why hurt her, while her heart is hurting?"

Mary Margaret's brow furrows. "I never lied to her before."

When Sam hears that she moves next to Mary Margaret, linking arms with her. "I'm with Mary Margaret. Lying is not a good way to go,"

Hook represses the urge to roll his eyes at their good natured response. "You're not lying, you're just keeping a secret.

"Secrets always always seem to keep us from the people we really care about." Mary Margaret says, patting her free hand against the arm that Sam has entangled with her own.

David gazes at his wife sadly. "And sometimes secrets protect the people we love." He feels Sam's gaze rest on him, the girl had picked up on the fact that his words held hidden context, she just didn't know what the context was.

David hoists his satchel over his shoulder, preparing to set off to look for Neal. Mary Margaret looks between him and Hook. "So we can hide this," She says, talking about herself and Sam. "But we need a cover story."

"Done." Hook says with a nod towards David. "That's no problem."

Emma walks up to the four, having watched them whisper conspiratorially for a while. She notes David's bag. "Where are you guys going?"

"Get water," and "Firewood" is said at the exact same time by David and Hook. They give each other a look that says 'why'd did you have to say something' and Sam tightens her grip on Mary Margaret.

Emma looks at each of them suspiciously. "Guys. What's going on?"

A couple seconds of silence tick by, and Sam opens and closes her mouth, debating whether or not to say anything. She doesn't have to though, because Mary Margaret blurts out, "Neal is alive."

Sam lets out a relieved sigh. "Thank God you told her, I was about to let it slip." Sam lips turn up in an embarrassed smile.

"Neal i-is," Emma pauses when her breath catches. "alive?" She's only able to whisper the last word. When Sam realizes what the information means to Emma, her smile drops, becoming serious for Emma's sake.

"Maybe." Mary Margaret tells her daughter before turning to the two men looking at her and waiting for an explanation. "Sorry, she deserved to know."

Sam unhooks herself from Mary Margaret and walks right in front of Emma. She leans forward and stage whispers, "Do we have to tell Regina?"

Hook and Mary Margaret chuckle at Sam's weak tactics to disclude Regina. "I'm afraid its a group effort, darling." Hook reaches out and actually ruffles Sam's hair.

Emma calls out for Regina and they all chime in at different times, explaining the situation to her. Regina's scowl deepens with every new piece of information she get's on the groups' new plan. Finally she throws her hands up, "This is a waste of time." She looks around at the group, "He's toying with us."

"I don't think so." Mary Margaret turns towards the trail, Emma close on her heel. "Look!" She says pointing at the ground, "More scuffling. Someone was definitely resisting." Mary Margaret turns back to the group, her eyes sparkling with hope.

Emma questions her mother. "How do you know that means Neal?"

Mary Margaret thinks for a second before saying, "Well, it means someone was fighting for his life."

"Are you really going to fall for this too?" Regina yells towards Emma. "Fine. You already let a moronic stranger just up and join are group. So why wouldn't you want to follow the evil munchkin's dirt road? Well be my guest."

Regina starts to move away from everyone but Emma stops her. "Wait. Where are you going?"

"To save our son." Regina spits. "Getting away from her is just an incentive." Her accusing finger points at Sam.

Emma pushes Regina's arm down. "Oh stop with the whole 'Sam's evil' thing, we need to get along and stick together."

"No we don't." Regina lets out a very dry and sarcastic laugh. "You may be prepared to risk Henry's life over some heartbroken fools errand, but I'm not." Her eyes flash dangerously. "I'm _**tired** _of waiting around." Regina walks away from the group and enters the jungle, officially breaking from the group.

Emma's eyes find the ground. "What if she's right. Pan could be lying."

Mary Margaret takes Emma's hand. "Just because it seems too good to be try doesn't mean it is. Don't give up. You owe to Henry to find out if his fathers still alive." Mary Margaret locks eyes with her daughter. "And you owe it to yourself."

* * *

Pan's telescope clicks as he opens it. Felix stands off to his right as Pan observes the procession of adults moving through the jungle through the lens. Lost Boys are milling around the cages that are suspended in the air behind both Felix and Pan. "Look at them going." Pan says while watching Mary Margaret lead them through the jungle in a single line. "So determined to find their missing friend."

"Speaking of that friend," Felix drawls out. "What should we do with Neal?" A flash of gold catches his eye and he sees the girl trail behind Hook. His mind reels at the sight of her. Or what he assumes is the sight of her, Felix doesn't have a telescope to see their faces but he can just tell that it's the bitch. She's significantly shorter than the others and she had trouble walking in the jungle.

Felix is wondering why her hair is so damn long when Pan speaks snapping Felix from his stupor. "It's time to move him. Take him to the Echo Cave." Before Felix turns away he catches Pan's spyglass aims towards the back of the procession, towards the girl. "The game is about to get interesting."

Felix doesn't has time to dwell on Pan's last statement, instead turning his attention towards the cage that is ascending to the doesn't has time to dwell on Pan's last statement, instead turning his attention towards the cage that is ascending to the ground. He oversees Neal's cage move to Echo Cave, but his thoughts stay on the girl who isn't supposed to be real. As the Lost Boys place Neal into the center rock in the cave Felix decides to investigate as to why he's seeing a figment of his nightmares running around. The Lost Boys head back to camp and Felix slips off into the jungle, dreading the place he has to venture to in order to find answers. He slips deeper into the jungle, finally crossing over to the place that the Dark Jungle melts into the Forbidden Jungle. Felix emerges into a clearing looking up at the Lying Tree. The dangers that accompany going here are high, the last time a Lost Boy stumbled across this place, he was killed by Pan. Felix knows to be quick and takes large purposeful steps until he's right next to the tree. After this, he doesn't know what to do; he doesn't know how to activate whatever magic lies within the tree. So Felix holds his hand up and touches the tree. Wind whips around him and a golden dust flies into his eyes, but he still doesn't remove his hand from the tree.

_When Felix opens his eyes he looks around at the new surroundings, eyes open wide. The tree has become larger than before and the sun shines down making the meadow look like a warm and happy place. Felix watches as a projection of himself, flickering momentarily, stalks into the meadow. The mirage Felix moves towards the tree stealthily, eyes sweeping around and feet purposefully trampling the wildflowers that grow. Mirage Felix walks under the shade of the tree when the girl drops from a branch and falls on him, knocking mirage Felix on his back. She holds a dagger under his throat for total of three second, then she rolls off him laughing. "I win!" She cries, laying down next to the still winded mirage Felix._

_Mirage Felix grunts, too winded to get off the ground. "Next time you won't be so lucky."_

_A mirage of Pan comes into the meadow, quirking an eyebrow at the two sprawled on the grass. "Ah, you can finally stand her?" Mirage Pan holds out his hands to them both, and they use him as leverage to get up._

_Mirage Felix growls, "No." And storms off into the Dark Jungle. The real Felix watches himself leave and turns his attention back to the two in the meadow. They turn to each other smiling, their hands still together from when mirage Pan helped her up and the girl let's out a small giggle. They lean in and Felix audibly gasps when their lips touch. They pull apart and envelope in a close hug._

_Mirage Pan's chin rests on the top of her head and she talks into his shirt. "When will Felix not…" she pauses for a second. "Absolutely hate me with a fiery passion."_

_Mirage Pan laughs at her. "Rapunzel, I doubt he ever will."_

_Rapunzel lets out a strangled sound. "I want to move from the camp."_

_"Don't let a grumpy Felix kick you out." Rapunzel draws away from mirage Pan and falls down to ground. He follows the suit falling down next to her._

_"I just need my own place." She holds her hands up, letting the sun stream through her fingers._

_Mirage Pan sits up, "Well you can have this place." He looks at her. "I give you this tree!" He says laughing._

_The gold dust starts whipping around Felix again, drowning out the rest of their dialogue. It settles and the scene has changed. No longer is Pan and Rapunzel sitting in the shade, Felix turns his head to see Mirage Pan standing right next to him, carving into the bark of the tree. His arm passes right through Felix, making Felix shudder at the sensation. His hand no longer sits on just the bark of the tree, instead resting on the entrance to her treehouse. Felix looks at the inside of the tree, shocked to find the hammock and dried flowers from whenever he falls asleep._

_"You carved me a tiger, right?" Felix whips his head around, surprised to see the grass in the meadow has become completely engulfed in flowers. Then he spots his mirage self sitting crossed legged, arm propped up and hand cradling his chin. Rapunzel braids small blue flowers into his hair, and he isn't enjoying it at all._

_Mirage Pan let's out a laugh that Felix has never heard the real Pan make. "No, I'm afraid it's turned into a lily."_

_"But that's not remotely intimidating." She whines._

_Mirage Pan stops carving and goes to crouch down in front of mirage Felix. He addresses Rapunzel. "You're braiding flowers in his hair. Not very intimidating."_

_The gold dust whirls again, but this time Felix is prepared. He braces himself for the stomach dropping sensation. When it all clears, the meadow is cast in darkness. Felix looks around at the empty meadow, wondering why he was brought to this moment. He looks into the tree seeing Rapunzel sleeping in the hammock. He hears a small rustling and looks at treeline, watching as mirage Felix emerges from the jungle. He sneaks forward and soon is standing at the archway. Felix watches as mirage Felix pulls out a small knife and moves over her hammock. He stands over her and brings the knife down, and Felix watches in anticipation. Rapunzel's hand shoots out and hits mirage Felix in the face. Felix watches as they struggle, each getting a couple good blows in here and there. Rapunzel stumbles out of the tree and mirage Felix follows, his lip bleeding. Her foot comes flying up towards his face but he ducks away in time. He punches her in the stomach, smirking as she doubles over._

_"Rapunzel! Rapunzel we need you!" They stop fighting as the Lost Boys come running into the clearing. They're carrying the fake Pan on a stretcher. They bring the stretcher and set it down in front of fake Felix and Rapunzel, treating their battered state as if a normal occurrence. Peter is covered in a sheen of sweat and is not breathing. Rapunzel collapses and fake Felix catches her by the elbows, just barely preventing her from falling to her knees. He holds her there, not too happy with the situation._

_One of the Lost Boys talk quietly. "He's finally lost."_

_Another chimes in, "The island has been sick for too long._

_"Surprised he lasted this long."_

_"What are we going to do."_

_"He's dead." When the last boy says that, Rapunzel's resolve brakes and the tears stream down her face. Both Felix and the imposter of himself are shocked, and mirage Felix let's her fall to her knees crying. The sobs rock her body and she leans over Pan, crying into his shirt. She's draped over him weeping and the Lost Boys join in, crying for their lost leader. Sobs rack Rapunzel's body and Pan's arms wrap around her, comforting the girl. He sits up and starts to shush her, stroking her head and rocking her._

_"Peter!" She cries and pulls back searching into the boy's eyes. Rapunzel's cheeks are streaked with tears that almost seem to glow as her hands come up to cup Peter Pan's face. "Peter. How" she whispers._

_He smirks at her, "You saved me. My knight in shining armor." Her lips crash against his and the Lost Boys ooh and ahh._

A shocked Felix breaks away from the tree, stumbling back. He takes one look at the tree and takes off into the jungle, trying to get away from the Lying Tree as fast as possible. He leaves the Forbidden Jungle with more questions than answers.

* * *

**The reason that the chapter is cut into two parts is because I typed up the first half and it was longer than most of other chapters. Expect Part 2 a week from now. So what do you guys think? Which day is best for updates. I tried doing Wednesdays because it's hump day and a little chapter then would totally brighten my mood. But if you guys rather have it during the weekends, or on Mondays to make Mondays doable, just tell me. **

**On to the Shoutouts :)  
KreativeGirl: Felix remembers now and Hook is going to very soon!**

**That's all! So because this usually takes up more space, I'm going to add a plug for my new story. I just published a story for X-Men: First Class and for all of you who think Lucas Till/Havok/Alex Summers is amazing and want to see the OC I created for Marvel check it out! _And Then There's The Puppeteer_**

**I Love You Guys. :D**


	9. Chapter 6: Ariel II

**It's time for the end of the Ariel episode. Some feedback on the whole chapter breakdown would be nice, or any feedback really. You guys make me smile. There's three parts in this chapter and the whole memories thing will be cleared up soon, I promise. I have a couple easter eggs to the Grimm version in this chapter.  
**

* * *

Gold watches in shock as Regina chokes Belle, his eyes widening when Belle dissolves into Pan's shadow. Mr. Gold looks back at a fuming Regina. "What is this?! Amateur hour!?" She exclaims, throwing her arms up. "Did you really believe that was Belle?"

Gold stands up, watching suspiciously as Regina starts to approach him. "Why are you here?" He asks with a cross of his arms.

Regina matches Gold's hostility with her own malice. "Well for starters it appears I'm saving your ass. You were about to be Pan lunch."

Mr. Gold is not convinced. "What do you care?" He asks, jaded.

Regina makes a sour face. "I care because I've been camping with the Charmings for a week and only getting one doe-eyed and naive step **back** from nowhere." Gold doesn't pick up on Regina's barb at Sam, only understanding that the group hasn't made progress. Regina continues, "I need you. I need Rumpelstiltskin."

"Well, the problem with that is Rumpelstiltskin can only stop Pan by dying." Gold isn't going to indulge Regina with his hopes having his shadow bring a magic girl to Neverland to defeat Pan. He had given up on her.

"You're not going to die at anyone's hands but my own. We're the two most powerful practitioners of magic that have ever lived." Regina moves closer to Gold as she continues talking. She uses the most persuasive voice she can muster. "The Evil Queen and the Dark One, joining forces." Her voice turns to venom as she continues. "I say we can find another way to handle _One. Smug. Teenager_."

Gold is not at all encouraged by Regina. "I know what killing him requires, and that is my life."

Regina thinks about what Gold said for a moment. She sighs, "Well, as much as I want to, maybe we don't _have_ to kill him. Maybe if that's the case, maybe we can find another way." Regina watches Gold perk up at the idea of another way. "Something to contain him. Some other fate."

"Enough, Regina!" Gold snaps when she mentions fate. "My fate will not waver. Don't think I haven't tried to change it!"

Regina steps back. "What did you do?"

Gold laughs dryly, "My plan 'B' isn't working out as I had hoped. I had a...flight so to speak, lined up and it was a… missed opportunity." Gold flourished his hands in rhythm to his rant.

"I knew it!" Regina moves toward him again. "Just because you failed once, doesn't mean you have tried everything." She gauges Gold's reaction and when she sees a dawn of recognition cross his face, she continues. "Now we're talking. Is there a spell you know, something we can enact?"

Gold looks into Regina's eyes, smiling. "I might have just the thing."

Regina slaps him in the shoulder with the back of her hand in excitement. "Well why didn't you bring it in the first place?"

"Because I came here to kill him and die in the process." Gold turns and begins to walk away from Regina.

She laughs at him. "Well I could have told that wasn't going to happen." He turns back to Regina, who is smirking at him. "You forgot Dear, I've known you a long time. I know all about your survival instincts."

Gold shakes his head. "Yeah, well they just kicked in."

"Good, so now we just need a change of plans. We need to get back to your shop pick up this magical item, then all of our problems are solved." Regina paces as she lists off what they need to do.

"Crossing Realms?" Gold asks sarcastically. "Is that all?"

Regina looks at him and puts her hands on her hips. "Yes, that's all."

* * *

_As Rapunzel sits on the floor, weaving silk and humming a nameless tune. A ruddy faced boy lounges next to her nodding in time with her tune. His blonde hair is cropped too close to his scalp and doesn't balance out the traces of childhood still resting on his face. All the silk that he could fit into his bag double as a pillow as he halfheartedly watches her weave the bridge that she will climb down when they elope. She finishes her song and turns her attention to the young man by her side. "Anthony?" Rapunzel asks timidly._

_Anthony makes a rather dumb noise as he snaps back into focus. "Uhhgn. What?"_

_"Can you tell me more stories about your castle?" Rapunzel makes eye contact for a second before her eyes flit back to her hands._

_Anthony rolls his eyes, thinking she can't see him. "Uh… whatever you wish, Rapunzil."_

_"Rapunzel."_

_"Huh?"_

_Rapunzel looks up at the ceiling. "You still can't pronounce my name."_

_"I apologize, it is a rather difficult one." Anthony pushes himself off the floor and instead collapses on her bed. "In my kingdom, we exist strong and united against all the evil out there. I will inherit the throne when my mother dies, the ruling queen."_

_Rapunzel stands up, discarding the unfinished silk rope. "Yes, you have told me before. Tell me about the people, the scenery, what a cinnamon roll smells like, or really anything that doesn't have to do with royal politics." She goes over and perches at the edge of her own bed, spine straight as she attempts to make eye contact with him again._

_"People?" He opens one of his eyes. "Well there was this one time… you don't really want to know, do you."_

_Rapunzel hops on the bed, clapping her hands in excitement. "No. No, I truly want to know."_

_Anthony sits up and puts a hand on his knee. "Once, when I was a lot younger, me and my friend were messing around and we stumbled into this garden. My friend and I saw all these gold flowers, it was the most beautiful thing I've seen." He smiles to himself at the memory. Then he thinks about what he said. "Besides you, of course. But we played around in the flowers and all of sudden a man's head popped up as this guy scaled the wall that surrounded the garden." He smiles when Rapunzel gasps. "And the man jumps down and starts collecting the flowers, just shoving them into his bag. And then my friend, who is braver than I, jumps out and demands the man to stop. The man yells at us, telling us to run away."_

_Rapunzel tips her head. "Why?"_

_"We were in the witch's garden!" He exclaims, watching as she jumps at his outburst. "We got out of there as fast as our six-year-old legs carried us."_

_Rapunzel draws her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around her legs. "What happened to him? Your friend?"_

_Anthony's face melts into sadness. "Sh-" he breaks into a fake cough. "He got sick and lost his sight. We're still looking for a cure for his disease."_

_Rapunzel looks at her prince. "You are amazing. To care so much about your childhood friend... I love you Anthony."_

_"And I you, Rapunzil."_

* * *

The group emerges from the foliage into a small clearing. "The tracks lead directly into that cave." Mary Margaret points towards the gray opening. "This must be where they're keeping Neal."

David turns to Hook. "If the cave is some sort of prison, why aren't there any guards posted to stop us?"

"This prison doesn't require guards," Hook lets out a sigh. "Echo Cave."

His eyes remain on the dreary rocks as Mary Margaret speaks up again. "You know it?"

"All too well," He turns and faces them, feeling it necessary to avoid Sam's eyes. "I lost half my crew inside those rock walls. The only way to rescue someone from the inside is through the other secret." His eyes find the ground.

"A secret?" Mary Margaret shifts her head to the side and Sam copies her, looking towards Hook, wondering about secrets.

"The darkest secret, Echo Cave derives it's name from an old saying the deeper the lie the more truth in its echo. The cave demands that you reveal a truth about yourself, a secret you would never admit to anyone." The line in between his eyebrows appears as he talks about the task in front of them.

Emma props up against the entrance of the cave. "This is ridiculous." She says with a roll of her eyes.

"Don't kill the messenger, love."

Emma scoffs, "Even if we spill our guts, how do we know Neal's still alive in there?"

Hook's eyes lock with Emma. "Cause this is what Pan wants," He gestures his hand towards the cave. "He wants us to rescue him."

David crosses his arms. "Why?" Sam nods along, agreeing with David's inquiry.

"So that we reveal our secrets. He believes once we do, our secrets will destroy us."

Sam rocks on her feet. "So we just go in, right?"

Hook looks around one more time, "Yes, it's time to save Neal." He leads everyone into Echo Cave, Sam trailing behind everyone, nervous about the cave. When she gets into the cave she looks out to see the floor drops out suddenly. After the span of vastness there is a pillar of rock, and a wooden cage is marooned there. Sam can see a man in a blue shirt gripping at the bars of the cage.

He shouts, "EMMA!"

"NEAL!" She yells back to him.

They stand at the edge looking across the cavern. Mary Margaret breaks the silence. "It must be 100 feet across."

David joins in with a somber tone. "Even if we fashion a rope, there's nothing to attach it to. Nowhere to swing over."

Emma doesn't want to listen to reason. "So what do we do?"

Hook sighs, "I told you what needs to be done. Consider the moment of truth, literally. Now who wants to kick things off?"

Emma is skeptical of Hook. "So what? Someone tells their secret and the sprout wings?"

"I don't know the particulars." Hook fidgets his hand subconsciously. "Only what I've been told."

David speaks next, "How do you know it will work?"

Hook lets out a huge sigh. "There's only one way to find out I suppose," He sighs again. "I kissed Emma!" He spurts out.

"You did what?!" David explodes.

Mary Margaret grabs onto his elbow, "David, now is not the time."

"I already told Mary Margaret." Emma says, looking around at them.

"And I saw them!" Sam interjects with a little squeal.

The Charmings look at Sam for a second before Emma speaks again. "So technically it's not a secret. But it was just a kiss, how is that you're darkest secret?"

"It's what the kiss exposed. My secret is, I never thought I'd be cable of letting go of my first love, my Milah. To be able to feel like I could find someone else, that is until I met you." Hook finishes his emotional speech, breathing heavier than before. Sam can't help but give a small smile, she's glad that Hook was able to express his feelings, even if had to be infront of everyone. There's a rumbling and the cave shakes slightly; rocks pop up from Neal's island and forming a part of what could become a bridge.

David decides to go next. "Mary Margaret, I…uh,"

"No me next." Mary Margaret stops him. "Ever since the curse broke. Since we found each other. Since we found Emma. In all that happiness there is something that I hadn't wanted to admit." She pauses, her voice catching with emotion. "Our daughter is a beautiful smart amazing woman, whom I love very much and of whom I could not be more proud. But she's all grown up. And as much as I want to pretend I'm okay with it, I'm not. We missed it David. What we have with her is unique, but it's not what I wanted. We were cheated out of everything. Her first word, her first step, her first smile. We missed it all."

Sam watches as panic rises in David's eyes. "What're you saying?" He asks.

"When we get off this island and back to Storybrooke, I want another go at it." Mary Margaret gazes at him lovingly. "I want to have another baby." The rumbling happens again and more of the bridge reaches about fifty feet away from them.

"Nothing in this world would make me happier. And I know with all my heart that you would make an amazing mother…" David pauses. "But it can never happen, at least not with me."

Mary Margaret is shocked. "What do mean?"

"When Henry I went to search for the sexton, he was really taking me to find a cure." Hook watches from the corner of his eye as Sam reaches up and starts to fiddle with her her necklace when David says cure.

"A cure for what?" Mary Margaret looks at her husband.

David matches her gaze. "Dreamshade." He breathes out. Sam clutches onto the vial tighter.

Mary Margaret pieces everything together. "The Lost Boys. The arrow. You pushed me out the way."

"I wasn't fast enough. I was hit. Hook was able to find a cure." He takes a step closer to her, eyes silently pleading. "But it comes at a price. I can't leave Neverland. If I do I'll die." The bridge furls out again, this time going 25 feet away from the group, but no one is paying attention. David is staring at Mary Margaret and she is staring at him. A silence passes for a minute, their eyes not leaving each other.

Both of Sam's hands are wrapped around the vial and she steps forward. "I-I have two."

Hook and Emma look at Sam but Mary Margaret and David are still staring at each other. "Two secrets, darling?"

"I could've saved David!" Sam screws her eyes shut and suddenly she has everyone's attention. "I have an… ability, that would've saved him. And I would've have helped if I had known."

"Ability?" David croaks out.

Sam nods, opening one of her eyes. "It's not something I advertise."

She doesn't say anything else, waiting for the bridge to rumble. When it doesn't, Emma speaks up. "You said you have two."

Sam opens both eyes and inhales deeply. "I was going to elope with a prince. Gothel caught me before I could, but that's not it, not really." She exhales shakily. "I was going to abandon him!" Her voice breaks. "I saw that he wasn't in love with me and I still took the opportunity he offered. I used somebody." Tears stream down her cheeks, but she continues to choke out her confession. "I've tried to tell myself that it was justified. He was using me to save his true love from some incurable sickness, but for an entire year, I lied to his face. I wanted to see the world that was beyond my tower."

Everyone stares at her face, memorized by her tears. They fall down her face, glinting off the nonexistent light in the cave. They flicker with a gold luminance that screams magic to the others. Hook clears his throat. "Darling, your face?"

Sam gives a watery smile, before wiping at her face with the sleeve that she had used to stanch the blood from her nose. Her arm drops to her side and Mary Margaret inhales when the dried blood swirls in a golden sheen similar to oil in water, before the blood disappears. "Yeah," She gives a shoulder shrug. "I have magical healing tears that glow."

Emma opens her mouth to say something when the cave rumbles again and the bridge stretches across to reach the other side of the the cavern. Emma abandons Sam's situation and rushes forward across the rock to Neal. They watch as Emma brings the sword down across the cage. Once. Twice. Three times. It goes on until Neal tries to stop. "Emma. Emma! EMMA!" Sam watches as Emma slumps against the cage, sword discarded. Sam moves next to Hook, watching as Neal and Emma talk a hundred feet away. Mary Margaret and David watch Sam tersely, minds spinning from what Sam has said. After a while the bars from his dissolve and Neal stumbles out. The silence is stifling as Emma and Neal walk towards the group. Sam sees Neal for the first time, disheveled and confused. As they pass by Sam and Hook, Neal leans over to Emma. "Who's the kid?" He whispers into her ear. Emma gives him a 'I'll tell you later' look and they leave the cave first. David and Mary Margaret trail behind them and Hook follows them. Sam sniffles before going after all of them with a small bounce in her step. They form a semicircle around Neal. He leans against a tree for support. "Thank you." He crosses his arms over his chest, addressing everyone.

David puts his hands on his hips, "Well don't thank us yet. We still have to save Henry."

Hook talks while avoiding Neal's face. "We found your star maps. The real question is: Do you know how to get off this island?"

Neal nods, "If you find Henry, I can get us home."

"Let's go get Tinker Bell and retrieve the boy." Hook turns away and starts walking in the direction of the camp.

Sam also turns on her heel and follows after of him. She catches up to him and looks over her shoulder. David and Mary Margaret are too far away to hear them and Henry's parents are still outside Echo turns back to Hook. "So you know my big secret, why my necklace can't be yours."

Hook looks at the vial on her neck, he can see a faint glow showing through the frosted glass. "Yes, I now know about the, uh, _magic tears of healing_ powers."

Sam swings her arms as she speed walks in order to keep up with Hook's pace. "Hey," her lighthearted tone changes to one of understanding. "If it means anything, I prefer you over Neal."

Hook laughs at her attempt at consoling him. "You were so excited to save him. To meet Henry's father."

Sam shrugs, "I thought he'd be more...suave." Hook doesn't say anything. "So...are we really going to see _Tinker Bell_?"

* * *

**Okay, thoughts? If you guys get too confused just tell me, I'll try to clear it up with out giving away anything.**

**lially:**** Hmmm... how do I answer this. Rapunzel never met Snow, Charming, and the Evil Queen in the Enchanted Forest, and Felix saw the memory in a movie sense, he doesn't know what he was thinking during the actual memory. And Peter is oblivious to any memories about Rapunzel. Wow, long explanation but I hope it helps. **

**Ramblings: A big Thank You to everyone who checked out my story ****_And Then There's The Puppeteer. _****I caught up with Being Human (U.S.) and I am almost tempted to start planing an OC for Being Human, anyone interested? Ohh and Betas, I'm new, should I get a Beta for this story? And if I should, How?**


	10. Chapter 7: Dark Hollow

**Yes I got this update out! I'm thinking of returning to the Wednesday updates, if you guys don't mind. This episode doesn't have a whole ton of Sam, because there's a lot of Neal/Emma/Hook stuff going on, and why would I include that (I think I've accidentally put in some side CaptainSwan) . The explanation as to why Sam and (some) others don't "remember" Rapunzel's Neverland escapades is drawing closer. **

**I don't know when the next update will be out... but it might be a while. It's just that I'm afraid if I update so soon each time, people will start getting bored of all the constant updates and just skip out... but I love to write so I might just update anyway. Yay inconsistency!**

* * *

Peter Pan and his second in command, Felix, sit with their backs to their the fire. They don't talk, the only noise is their knives biting into the sticks as they carve the sticks into spears. Pan inhales sharply, abandoning the spears. Felix also stops and looks over at him. "What is it?"

Pan's hands grip his knees as he adjusts to someone leaving his domain. "Someones leaving Neverland."

"Where?" He casts his spear to the ground. "How shall we stop them?"

"It's too late. But at least I still feel that." Pan scowls.

Felix thinks he knows what Pan is talking about, but isn't sure. "The new addition to Hook's group?" he asks, mind flashing back to the images he saw when he was in the Forbidden Jungle.

"Ah, Felix. You _were_ able to see that girl." Pand scoffs darkly. "It is rather interesting."

Felix pushes Pan farther than he should, desperate for answers. "You recognize her?"

Pan expression gains a mischievous air. "That's the interesting part." he softly explains, "I cannot sense her at all. It is as if she doesn't exist."

Pan's comment worries Felix, "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing." Pan waves Felix off. "Some random girl who shouldn't be here. I might just have to play a game."

Felix mind reels. Pan doesn't seem to know the girl at all. Pan is his all powerful leader, and it scares Felix that whatever magic this girl possesses outweighs Pan's. "First this... addition arrives and then someone leaves Neverland. Should the time frame be moved up again "

Pan's eyes flicker darkly for a moment before he lets out a sigh. "Don't worry Felix." Pan massages his temple with his index finger, "We simply need to get word to our friends on the ground."

That's all Pan needs to say for Felix to know the topic of Rapunzel has been dropped. So he turns his attention to the matter at hand, the person who left Neverland. "In Storybrooke?" He's very doubtful of their friends.

"They can handle this. All it does is move up our time table a touch." Up until then, pan had been staring off into the treeline but he now turns to Felix. "We need to Henry ready." Pan pushes off the log with a sigh. "And I need to have a chat with our friend in the other cage."

* * *

_Rapunzel sank to her knees, trembling in fear. She stares blankly ahead watching but not processing the scene in front of her. The woman who raised her, the closest thing she has to mother, stands over a body while panting heavily in exertion. Ms. Gothel's knife glints dangerously into Rapunzel eyes, but she doesn't notice anything but the knife sitting in Gothel's raised hand._

_Rapunzel had heard someone call down for her, so she had thrown her hair out of the tower. It was the same as any other time Ms. Gothel returned from her travels, so Rapunzel didn't feel any need to be cautious. But the hand that gripped the ledge of her window was mannish and rather hairy; a completely different hand than the one she should have seen. A man jumped into the tower, gripping at her hair. The man walked towards her, scaring her with the crazed look in his eyes. He was beat up and grisled, blood seeped from a wound over his eye. He smirked in an evil way and Rapunzel saw that his teeth were sharpened to point at his canines. She backed up, but with every step she would take back, the man would take two forward. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out so she closed it. Before she knew it, her back hit the wall and the scary man towered over her. When he brought his hand up and tried to caress her, she found her voice and shrieked out for Ms. Gothel. She felt her vocal cords ripple as she mustered as much volume as her twelve-year old body allowed her. The man flinched away from her face before he brought his palm up in the air. The air popped and the man went slack before falling to the floor dead. Rapunzel looked away from the body and up at a fuming Gothel._

_Rapunzel couldn't help but let a tear slip out. It's really the first time she has had a reason to be sad or sacred enough to cry. Her body racked with sobs and she sits there completely clueless as to what's happening. Gothel casts the man's corpse aside using her foot. She crouches down in front of Rapunzel reaching out and touching her cheek, confirming something Gothel hasn't seen sense Rapunzel was a baby. Gothel wraps her in a hug and rocks her back and forward, whispering sweet nothings in Rapunzel's ear. She continues to sob into Gothel's dress. Gothel reaches in the folds of her dress and removes an empty vial. She holds it to Rapunzel's face, catching the tears that are falling. When Rapunzel feels the glass against her cheek, she flinches away. "Shh. Shh." Gothel soothes Rapunzel and continues to press the vial against her cheek. "Rapunzel. My dear Rapunzel, I will never let anything like that happen to you ever again."_  
_Rapunzel chokes on her own voice. "Why?" That's all she can manage to say._

_Gothel understands what Rapunzel is trying to ask. "Listen my child, you are special. That's the reason why I am the one who has raised you, cared for you. People will want to take advantage of your,_ ability_. Others might try to search you out. They will try to make you cry. Do not let them." Gothel takes the vial away from Rapunzel's face and corks it. She spends a moment gazing at it before placing it in Rapunzel's palm and folding Rapunzel's fingers over the vial. "Keep this for emergencies,_ never ever_ use it on yourself. This magic is complicated and you will _never_ be wise enough to fully understand it. That is why you will _not_ use this after the vial runs dry. Right?"_

_"Ok-kay," Rapunzel clutches the vial close to her heart._

_Gothel reaches out and wipes away the remaining tears from Rapunzel's face. "I'll take care of the brute, just worry about calming down." Rapunzel nods and watches as Gothel magically transports both herself and the man that she killed. It was the first time that she saw magic be used by Ms. Gothel, not understanding that her herself had just performed magic at twelve. Gothel poofed outside of the tower and looked down at her hands that glowed ever so slightly from Rapunzel's trauma. Gothel couldn't stop herself from bringing her hands up to her face and basking in the innocent magic that radiated from the salty water. Her tongue darts over the iridescent liquid, reveling in the disappearance of one of her raised veins. _

* * *

Emma and Neal lounge on a log while everyone else stands around them. Emma speaks up in disbelief, "Pan's shadow. That's your way off the island?"

Neal gives them a nod. "Unfortunately that's the only way."

Sam doesn't understand what the problem is. "The shadow is nice though." Her mind goes back to the thing that dropped her in this place originally.

Neal looks at the girl skeptically, Emma had explained who she was a couple times, but Sam is still a stranger to him. "The shadow is not something you mess with for no reason."

Sam rocks on her feet. "But he helped me escape. How is that mean?"

Neal hears about that for the first time and he scowls. "Pan's shadow brought you here? That probably means that Pan wanted you here as another way toy with us."

Sam inches away from Neal and starts to hide behind Hook. He steps in, moving in front of her. "She has proved herself, mate. Let back a little."

Neal sees the trust that the blonde has gained from the group. "Well then let's hear what happened."

"Neal." Emma warns.

"What? We should make sure that she isn't just one of Pan's minions." Neal crosses his arms and huffs.

Mary Margaret and Hook bristle but Sam just tugs on the end of her braid. "I saw this flash of red and when I investigated it was the shadow and it got me out of the tower."

"See she's wor-" Neal stops short. "Wait did you say red?"

Sam nods and stops hiding behind Hook, "Yeah Pan's shadow had these cool glow-y red eyes."

Neal eyebrows draw together in confusion. "Pan's shadow doesn't have red eyes."

Mary Margaret gives a small, relieved smile. "Then it wasn't Pan's shadow."

"Who else has a disembodied shadow?" Emma asks.

Neal shakes his head. "Then I have no idea how you got here then."

Sam tilts her head sideways and puts her hand on her chin. "Oh, I don't know either," She pauses and drops her hand. "Sorry,"

Neal is confused. "About what?"

"I can't help with the shadow." Sam looks down at her feet, she had stolen that one Lost Boy's shoes so at least she wasn't barefoot.

"Good thing I'm in charge of shadow duty." Just hearing the story about Sam made Neal wary but now that they have had a conversation, Neal can see why no doubts the girl.

"We thought you learned how to navigate the stars." David says disappointedly.

"I know how to navigate the stars, but I can't fly." Neal's attention shifts to Emma for a second longer than the other.

Mary Margaret chimes in, "I'm guessing that's where the shadow comes in."

"That's why we have to capture it." Neal says with a nod.

Emma offers her realistic opinion in a rather raised voice. "Capture it? We've never been within 10 feet of Pan unless he wanted us to be. Sneaking up on him to steal his shadow? That sounds insane!"

Hook sends a glance in Sam's direction. It had seemed as though Pan didn't mean to bump into her, but Hook wasn't sure. "Except Pan's shadow is rarely with him. It can carry out his will from miles away."

"And I bumped into Pan by accident." Sam adds. Hook sighs, the girl does not know how to keep anything to herself.

"What does that mean for us?" David asks.  
"It means we can get his shadow without having to be anywhere near Pan." Neal shifts a little in his seat. "As long as we know where to look. I know where to look."

Emma stands up. "Ok you and I are on shadow duty." She gestures to Neal and he also gets off the log.

"As am I." Hook starts.

"Shadow duty!" Sam says with a smile.

Hook tears his gaze from Emma. "I don't think so, darling. This trek won't be easy." He looks back to Emma. "You could use another veteran of the island. And Sam can stay with Mary Margaret and David."

"Thanks man." Neal says with a nod in Hook's direction.

"Well in the meantime we'll give Tinkerbell a heads up. See if she can make good her promise to get us into Pan's camp." David gestures to Mary Margaret and Sam.

Emma looks around. "Okay we meet back at Tink's. Then we get Henry." Her eyes sparkle with passion. "And get the hell back to Storybrooke." She walks away from the others.

*Scene Change/Time Passage (whichever you want)*

David leads Mary Margaret and Sam through the jungle. Sam lags behind the couple, aware of the thick tension between the two. David tries to strike conversation with Mary Margaret. "I think were almost at Tink's." He looks over his shoulder at his wife. "I see why she picked this area, nice quiet jungle. Might make a good spot for a hut, don't you think? Or a tree house, if you prefer." Nothing. She doesn't respond to him and Sam stops walking altogether. They continue moving, completely oblivious to the girl left behind. "Mary Margaret!" She passes by him, bumping his shoulder. "Snow!" He shouts after her and she stops. Sam backs up, not wanting to be in the middle of their fight. "When are you going to start talking to me again, when we're storming Pan's camp? When were grabbing Henry?! When!? You need to say something!"

Mary Margaret spins around to face him. "Why? You didn't. You didn't tell me _**anything**_!"

"At first I was hoping I could find a cure for the poison, and if I could I-I figured there was no reason to worry you." He stares at Mary Margaret. Sam has slipped out of sight, taking caution to stay within earshot of them. She doesn't want to be separated from the group.

She can hear Mary Margaret shout back at David, "Okay, but then you _did_ find a cure, and you still didn't tell me."

Sam feels guilty listening to them, but at least she is giving them privacy. She can hear them talking back and forth. David: "I know."

Mary Margaret: "So what, afraid of worrying me again?"

David: "No. I-I-I didn't think."

Mary Margaret: "No you didn't think. you didn't think I had a right to know you could never leave this island. Why didn't you tell me?"

David: "I was sacred."

Mary Margaret: "Did you think I wouldn't stay here with you? After everything we've been through. Did you think I would _ever_ leave your side?"

David: "No. I knew you wouldn't, and that's what scared me. I didn't want you to be stuck on this isla-" Sam stops straining to listen when a hand clamps down over her mouth and pins her arms behind her back in an instant.

Her scream is muffled by the hand and she hears a familiar voice whisper in her ear, "Boo." She struggles against the stranger, kicking both her feet up in the air. Then the voice talks again. "Now I'm going to let you go, but we're going to be quiet. Not going to spook the two lovebirds." The hands let go and she stumbles away. Sam whips around and glares at the- annoyingly handsome- stranger. She feels the blood rush to her cheeks and her brow furrows, angry at herself for blushing. She sizes up the boy dressed in dark colors, his eyebrow is raised in bemusement but she can feel a dark undercurrent running through his features.

Sam composes herself and scowls at him, "And who are you." She tries to be intimidating, but it's very laughable.

The infuriating boy with the cuffs on his wrists smirks at her. "Well I should ask you the same thing. Not many people are able to get the one-up on me and it's rather...irritating."

Sam takes a step back and raises all her defenses. "Peter Pan."

"See that's the problem, you know my name but I don't know yours." Pan smiles coyly and starts to take a step towards Sam.

Sam starts backing up, fumbling with her too-big moccasins, "Oh, no. This isn't happening right now." She trips on a root and falls down. The heat rises to her face again. "DAVID!" She screams, "MARY MARGARET!"

Pan stops smiling and malice mars his features. "You're no fun." He takes another step forward before David comes barreling through the trees.

David shouts back to her, "SAM!" He catches a glimpse of Pan's back before he vanishes. He looks down to see Sam shaking on the ground. Mary Margaret follows close behind, running up to Sam and reaching down to help her. "What on earth happened? Why was Pan here?" David asks going over to the two girls.

Mary Margaret lets go of Sam suddenly and Sam falls back down. "Pan was here?" She exclaims, then she sees the girl on the ground again. "Sorry. Let me help you up." She reaches for Sam and Sam looks skeptical for a second before grabbing onto Mary Margaret's hand.

She stands up and brushes off invisible dust. "I was just giving you two space, and then all of sudden Pan was right there."

Mary Margaret starts to fuss over Sam, "What did he want?"

"He didn't… He was asking what my name was." She holds onto Mary Margaret.

David lets out a frustrated sigh, "And I guess he knows it now." He throws his arms up. "What is he playing at now?"

"We'll just have to ask Neal and Hook about it." Mary Margaret checks on Sam one more time. "And the faster we get to Tinkerbell's, the faster we find out what the heck is going on." Sam nods and David agrees.

They walk in silence and Sam makes sure not to move away from the other two. While they walk Sam thinks about what David said. Snow. Snow. Snow. As in Snow White? That couldn't be right. Before she realizes it, they're at this impressive and quaint tree house. Sam sees Tinkerbell for the first time, identifying Tink by the blond bun on the top of her head. Tinkerbell sees the three and starts talking, "I was wondering if would see you again. But if you've come to talk me into helping you before you've found a way off this island, I still-"

"We found one," David interjects. "Or we're about to."

Tink balances her basket on her hip and looks at David. "Not sure I like the sound of 'about to'" She sees Sam and a confused look passes through her eyes.

Mary Margaret talks from Sam's side. "Pan's shadow. Emma went with Hook and Neal to capture it. That's our way off the island."

Tinkerbell turns skeptical. "Capture Pan's shadow. Yeah I'm not lifting a finger until I see some proof that you've actually succeeded."

That's when a voice comes from the trees. "Hey." Neal, Emma, and Hook emerge and Neal grasps the coconut in his hands. "Here's all the proof you need. It's been a long time Tink."

"Bae? Is it really you?" She asks peering at the grown man she had known so long ago.

Neal smiles at Tinkerbelle. "Yeah. Most people call me Neal now."

"We did it." Hook says, "Are you finally ready to do your part, Tink?"

"Yes. Yes I am." Tink turns and starts walking away and Mary Margaret follows, dragging Sam along.

She hears Neal call out, "Uh, Emma?" and they stay behind to talk about whatever they need to talk about.

Conversations break out between the people in the group and Sam decides it's as good of time as any to talk to Mary Margaret. "Well, uhm, Mary Margaret?" Mary Margaret looks at Sam and nods, non-verbally telling her to continue. "What did David mean when he called you Snow?"

Mary Margaret smiles at Sam. "In the Enchanted Forest I'm Snow White. I thought you knew that." Sam grows somber and looks down. "What's wrong?" Mary Margaret asks.

"It just doesn't make sense." Sam mumbles, "Snow White's been dead for a hundred years."

* * *

**WHHAAAT? Intriguing? Maybe? I'll take any predictions or suggestions. Those who are on the site just to enjoy the fanfiction don't realize how amazing comments are. You guys make me go Awww every time. Plus my email is hooked up to my phone so I get it as soon as you comment. So yeah, when I get a alert in the middle of IB Bio it makes my dreaded teacher bearable. (Mini rant: Mr. Peterfeso, no one give a damn if 'these pretzels are making [you] thirsty' Stop guilting us about our lack of attention in class!) Sorry, I needed to say that...**

**Black Widow loves you: Here, take this chapter because I don't know when my next update will be. But your comments (both of them) were motivators for pushing through writers block.**

**Captain Squishy: Thank you for commenting on the necklace, I didn't know when I was going to get its back story in, and you being confused about it reminded me to include it. Does it flow well? I wanted to give Gothel a bitter-sweetness where yes, she _is_ comforting Rapunzel BUT she's also using her. If you're still confused just tell me.**


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